Rochester Red Wings 13, Charlotte Knights 1
The Knights (63-53) took a lopsided loss in Rochester against the Red Wings (68-46), who showed why they have the best overall record in the International League.
Despite the final score, the Knights were within striking distance for most of this game. Knights starter Drew Thorpe, 25, showed that he is about ready to rejoin the MLB team. Thorpe only allowed one run on three hits in five innings. Thorpe also picked up six strikeouts and did not issue any
walks. When Thorpe left the game after the fifth inning, the score was 1-1.
The Knights scored their only run in the third, when Ryan Galanie and Rikuu Nishida drew back-to-back walks with two outs. Those walks extended the inning for Korey Lee, who tied the game with an RBI single to left.
The score remained 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth, when the Red Wings put themselves ahead with two runs against Jairo Iriarte. The situation only got worse from there, as relievers Joe Rock and Adisyn Coffey allowed five runs apiece, and the Red Wings scored 10 in the eighth.
MVP
Drew Thorpe (RHSP): 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K
Runners-Up
Korey Lee (C): 1-for-4, RBI, 1-for-1 stolen bases
Rikuu Nishida (2B): 0-for-2, 2 BB, 1-for-1 stolen bases
Riley Unroe (3B): 1-for-2, BB
Joey Wiemer (RF): 1-for-4
Cold Cat
Joe Rock (LHRP): 1 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 K
Cold Cat Runners-Up
Adisyn Coffey (RHRP): 1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Jairo Iriarte (RHRP): 1 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 1 K
Dru Baker (LF): 0-for-4, K
Columbus Clingstones 4, Birmingham Barons 3
The Barons (44-66) put up a good fight and nearly pulled off a thrilling comeback for the second straight night. However, this time, the Clingstones (51-54) held on for a 4-3 victory.
Barons starter Jake Palisch, 27, had a solid outing, only allowing two runs on six hits in six innings. The Clingstones scored both of their runs against him in the first, so the Barons were playing from behind from start to finish. In the third, the Barons scored their first run on a solo blast by star prospect Caleb Bonemer, who has hit 30 blasts this season (18 with the Dash, 12 with the Barons). Bonemer posted a .937 OPS in 61 games with the Dash, and now, he has a .940 OPS in 43 games with the Barons.
The score remained 2-1 until the eighth, when the Clingstones scored a pair against reliever Garrett Wright, who made his first appearance since being promoted from Winston-Salem. Opposing hitters slashed only .163/.306/.279 against Wright in Winston-Salem, but tonight was a tough one for Wright.
The Barons did not go down easily, as Bonemer led off the bottom of the ninth with a triple, and Anthony DePino followed with an RBI double. After a pair of productive outs, DePino scored, but that was not enough to pull off the comeback.
MVP
Caleb Bonemer (3B): 3-for-5, 3B, HR, RBI, 1-for-1 stolen bases
Runners-Up
Jake Palisch (LHSP): 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Anthony DePino (1B): 2-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI
Jordan Sprinkle (2B): 2-for-4, 1-for-1 stolen bases
James Taussig (LF): 2-for-4
Liam Paddack (LHRP): 1 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
Morris Austin (RHRP): 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Cold Cat
Garrett Wright (RHRP): 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K
Cold Cat Runners-Up
Grant Magill (C): 0-for-5, RBI, 4 K
Calvin Harris (DH): 0-for-4, 2 K
Dylan Campbell (RF): 0-for-4, BB
Winston-Salem Dash 7, Greensboro Grasshoppers 2
The Dash (60-49) continued their strong start to the series defeating the Grasshoppers (66-44) in Greensboro once again. This time, the result was quite decisive.
After a scoreless first inning, the Dash got down to business in the top of the second. Kyle Lodise led off with a single, and with one out, he stole his 34th base of the season in 42 attempts (81.0%). Kaleb Freeman walked, and Ely Brown launched a three-run blast to put the Dash ahead early on.
The Dash added a pair to their lead in the fifth, when Javier Mogollón and George Wolkow hit back-to-back singles to open the inning. After Nick McLain was hit by a pitch, productive outs by Lodise and Jeral Perez resulted in Winston-Salem’s lead stretching to five.
Meanwhile, Dash starter Drew McDaniel delivered four shutout innings, and he only allowed two hits. The bullpen had a large cushion to work with, and it did not even need it. The bullpen combined to allow only two runs in five innings, which was easily enough to secure the victory.
As a bonus, Ely Brown hit his second homer of the day in the sixth, and he reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances. It truly was an enormous day for Brown, 22, who has a .410 OBP in 95 games this season, all with the Dash.
MVP
Ely Brown (CF): 4-for-4, 2 HR, BB, 4 RBI
Runners-Up
Drew McDaniel (RHSP): 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Kyle Lodise (2B): 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, 1-for-1 stolen bases
Javier Mogollón (3B): 2-for-4, BB
George Wolkow (RF): 2-for-5
Jeral Perez (DH): 1-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI
Jarold Rosado (RHRP): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Cold Cat
Roch Cholowsky (SS): 0-for-5, 2 K
Cold Cat Runners-Up
Nick McLain (LF): 0-for-4, HBP, 3 K
Jesús Méndez (RHRP): 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5, Hickory Crawdads 4
The Cannon Ballers (57-53) recovered from a disappointing offensive performance on Tuesday to even the series against the mighty Crawdads (65-42) in Kannapolis.
Cannon Ballers starter Truman Pauley, 22, had one of his best outings, only allowing one run on five hits in five innings. Pauley added seven strikeouts while only issuing two walks. When Pauley’s outing was over, the Cannon Ballers had a 5-1 lead.
The Cannon Ballers offense got started in the bottom of the first, when Jaden Fauske led off with a walk, and he advanced to third on a single by Matthew Boughton. Fauske proceeded to score on a productive ground out by Alexander Albertus. Two batters later, a two-run blast by Grayson Fitzwater put Kannapolis ahead, 3-0.
In the third, after the Crawdads scored their only run against Pauley, Boughton led off with a double, and Albertus followed with a walk. Boughton and Albertus executed a double-steal and Stiven Flores drove in Boughton with a sacrifice fly. From there, Fitzwater added an RBI to his total with a single.
The score remained 4-1 until the top of the ninth, when Cannon Ballers reliever Carlton Perkins entered the game. The Crawdads made Perkins work to earn those three outs, as they scored three runs on three hits. However, Perkins got there, as Kolby Branch lined into a double play. The liner was snagged by Albertus at third base, and Deward Tovar was doubled off of first.
MVP
Grayson Fitzwater (1B): 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
Runners-Up
Truman Pauley (RHSP): 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 K
Matthew Boughton (SS): 3-for-4, 2B, 1-for-1 stolen bases
Alexander Albertus (3B): 1-for-3, BB, RBI, 1-for-1 stolen bases
Marco Barrios (RHRP): 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
Grant Cleavinger (RHRP): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Cold Cat
Carlton Perkins (RHRP): 1 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K
Cold Cat Runners-Up
Christian González (DH): 0-for-4, 2 K
Clay Burdette (RF): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, 0-for-1 stolen bases
DSL White Sox 10, DSL Pirates Black 9
The DSL White Sox (18-32) delivered in high-leverage moments, and this game resulted in a walk-off over the DSL Pirates Black (27-22). As a result, the four-game losing streak for the DSL White Sox is over.
This game was a makeup of a matchup that was originally scheduled for July 31. The DSL White Sox got off to an excellent start by scoring three in the bottom of the first. Hector Hernández led off with a single, and he proceeded to steal second. From there, Fernando Graterol drove him in with a single to make the score 1-0. Graterol eventually scored on a wild pitch, and Samuel Luis drove in the final run of the inning with a double.
DSL White Sox starter Jhoriel De La Rosa, 19, was dominant early on. De La Rosa started out with three shutout innings, and it appeared the DSL White Sox could have a rare stress-free victory. However, the fourth inning was quite difficult for De La Rosa and the bullpen. De La Rosa allowed three runs, and reliever Mario Sosa allowed three more, although one of those was unearned.
The DSL Pirates Black scored one additional run in the fifth, but the DSL White Sox did not go away. Hernández doubled, and Graterol launched a two-run homer to cut the deficit in half. The DSL White Sox were not done, as they went back to work in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Hernández and Graterol hit back-to-back singles to set the stage for Sebastian Romero. Representing the potential go-ahead run, Romero crushed his 10th homer of the season, and suddenly, the DSL White Sox had the lead.
Unfortunately, things were not so easy for DSL White Sox reliever Beinel Adon, who issued three walks and allowed two runs. As a result, the DSL White Sox had their backs against the wall once again. In this fantastic game, they were up for the challenge. With one out, Josiel Veras singled, Ronald Cardozo walked, and José Suarez singled to load the bases. Hernández struck out, so with two outs, the potential tying run was on third, the potential winning run was on second, and this was an extremely high-leverage moment for Graterol. Somehow, Graterol found a way to build on his big game with a single to tie it, and Romero reached on an error that ended the game. What a matchup.
