Rochester Red Wings 5, Charlotte Knights 2
In his first start since being demoted from the parent club, Noah Schultz rolled out four strong innings, sacrificing a solo home run in the first for three scoreless innings. Although hanging a cutter down the middle is far from desirable for Sox fans hoping Schultz can prove he’s still the best lefty arm on the farm, Schultz’s rebound in the second through fourth frames was a positive sign.
The Knights worked with Schultz’s adequate backing. Charlotte’s
scoring started with Mario Camilletti’s RBI single in the third, and followed with Andy Weber’s lone jack in the fifth to capture the lead:
Unfortunately, this narrow 2-1 lead wasn’t sustainable. After Nick Altermatt’s two-frame shutout, Tyler Davis stepped on for what would be another disappointing outing. The struggling southpaw put two on early and couldn’t get himself out of trouble before Rochester’s Liover Peguero lined a two-run RBI drive to center field to give the Red Wings the go-ahead runs. Peyton Pallette dug the Knights further into a hole when he replaced Peguero in the eighth, giving up two runs on four pitches to seal Charlotte’s fate.
MVP
Noah Schultz: 4 IP, 3 H, R, HR
Runners-Up
Nick Altermatt: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
Dru Baker: 2-for-4, R, K
Andy Weber: 1-for-4, R, RBI, 2 K
Cold Cat
Tyler Davis: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 K
Runners-Up
Peyton Pallette: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 K
Tim Elko: 0-for-4, 3 K
Mario Camilletti: 1-for-5, RBI, 3 K
Riley Unroe: 1-for-3, K
Columbus Clingstones 6, Birmingham Barons 2
Once again, the Barons disappointingly dropped another game. Caleb Bonemer, the game’s hero, supplied both of Bham’s runs with a triple and a double. Meanwhile, the rest of the lineup collected eight strikeouts and combined for just five hits. Shane Murphy had a bumpy start, allowing five runs, three walks, and five strikeouts in five long frames. Phil Fox added to Columbus’ 5-2 lead in the eighth, but by then it was only a minor blunder. When the lineup goes 2-for-10, it’s easy to see why Bham is 18 games worse than .500.
MVP
Caleb Bonemer: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Runners-Up
Carson Jacobs: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Dylan Campbell: 1-for-4, R, K
Samuel Zavala: 1-for-3, R, K
Cold Cat
Shane Murphy: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
Runner-Up
Phil Fox: 1 IP, 2 H, R, K
Colby Shelton: 0-for-4, 2 K
Grant Magill: 0-for-3
James Taussig: 0-for-3
Winston-Salem Dash 9, Greensboro Grasshoppers 4
Although catching up to first-place Bowling Green in the South Atlantic League South will be a challenge, this win keeps the Dash a half-game ahead in the second-place race, a finish that will land them in the playoffs. Kyle Lodise and Shalin Polanco traded runs in the second, Lodise with a solo homer and Polanco with a bases-loaded walk.
Winston-Salem began pulling ahead in the fifth when Roch Cholowsky delivered a two-out, two-run line drive past first base, before the Dash ran away with the lead in the seventh. Cholowsky tacked on another RBI, George Wolkow extended his hit streak to five games with an RBI single, and Lodise delivered a second home run, to name a few other highlights.
Overall, the Dash’s pitching put up one of its strongest performances in the second half of the season — until the bottom of the ninth, when Landen Payne reduced Winston-Salem’s lead by two. But before the ninth-inning slip-up, and aside from a questionable bases-juiced walk and a well-hit double early, Winston-Salem’s arms had proved why this team has been competitive all season.
MVP
Kyle Lodise: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K
Runners-Up
Roch Cholowsky: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, BB
Jeral Perez: 2-for-4, R, BB, 2 K
Kaleb Freeman: 1-for-2, 2 R, 3 BB, K
Jack Young: 2 1/3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Cold Cat
Jesus Mendez: 2/3 IP, 0 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Runner-Up
Mason Moore: 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB
Drew Conover: 2 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 3 K
Nick McLain: 0-for-6, R, K
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 4, Hickory Crawdads 3
Everything came together for Kanny to help pull the CBs back into a tie with the August GreenJackets for third place in the Carolina League South. Fabian Ysalla redeemed himself for his last outing, twirling five innings while holding Hickory to six hits, two runs, and a walk. The bullpen mostly shut down the Crawdads from the sixth on, although Grant Cleavinger did make the final three outs interesting.
At the plate, Grayson Fitzwater and Stiven Flores cranked out two hits apiece, with Flores scoring three of the night’s four runs. With Billy Carlson on the IL, it’s not surprising that the offense was fairly limited. And although nothing went yard from Kanny, the offense stacked up plenty of chances to lengthen their lead but only managed to bring one of eight runners in scoring position around the diamond.
MVP
Stiven Flores: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Runners-Up
Grayson Fitzwater: 2-for-4, R, RBI
Fabian Ysalla: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, K, HR
Jaden Fauske: 1-for-4, R, K
Marco Barrios: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K
Cold Cat
Grant Cleavinger: 1 IP, 2 H, R, 3 K
Runners-Up
Clay Burdette: 1-for-4, R, 3 K
Crew McChesney: 0-for-3, RBI, K
DSL Rockies 19, DSL White Sox 18 (8 innings)
Although the DSL White Sox couldn’t put a bow on it, this slugfest had a bit of everything: Two home runs by Ronald Cardozo and Samuel Luis; extra-base hits from half of the lineup, including a triple from Orland Patino; three stolen bases; and six walks. The DSLers left just six on base but only went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Everyone in the lineup contributed in some meaningful way, so it’s hard to get down on this team. While no DSL White Sox arm could escape without allowing a few runs, the DSL Rockies’ equally weak pitching made it an all-around horrible day on the mound, evening it out. In extras, the Good Guys led off the top of the inning by getting the ghost runner thrown out at third on a sac bunt attempt, leading to a scoreless frame, while a passed ball and single from Colorado provided the 37th and final tally of the game.
