It was a night of close games and late comebacks across the Phillies system last night. Some were successful in overcoming deficits and snatching victory while the valiant efforts of others fell short.
Lehigh Valley 5, Buffalo 1
It was a good night for Iron Pigs pitching, as they combined to allow one run on seven hits. Chuck King was most responsible, as the righty went six shutout innings and allowed just three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Rafael Marchán started at catcher and went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout as he works
his way back to the Phillies on a rehab assignment. Kameron Misner launched a two-run homer in the fifth that put Lehigh Valley up 3-0. It was the 17th long ball of the year for the recent trade acquisition.
Reading 5, Portland 7
The Fightin’ Phils had two late rallies, but neither was enough to fully erase a 5-0 deficit. Luke Rosso started the game and was charged with five runs over five innings, including surrendering a home run to the rehabbing Roman Anthony. Raylin Heredia of Reading went 3-5 with a two-run homer and a two-run single, with the latter coming in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate. But Alex Binelas lined out to center to end the potential comeback.
Clearwater 8, Dunedin 4
A huge five-run eighth inning lifted the Threshers to victory, erasing a 4-3 deficit. The damage primarily came from back-to-back home runs from Nolan Beltran and Will Vierling, with the former giving Clearwater the lead. They totaled six hits in the inning, four of which were for extra bases. One player that wasn’t involved in the offense however was second round pick Caden Bogenpohl, as the big outfielder went 0-5 with a strikeout.
Jersey Shore 5, Hudson Valley 10
The Blue Claws found themselves in a tight, seesaw contest that went into extra innings. However, they came up short after a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice allowed the Renegades to take the lead in the tenth off of Gabe Craig before they exploded for four more runs. Jersey Shore had a golden opportunity in the ninth, as Griffin Burkholder reached second base on an error as the winning run with no outs, but the next two hitters struck out before Robert Phelps lined out to send the game to extras where the Blue Claws went down quietly.
DSL Phillies 6, DSL Tigers 11
A five run fifth inning wasn’t enough for the DSL Phillies to hold off the Tigers, as the latter erased a 6-4 deficit in the sixth with a seven-run inning that included two home runs and a grand slam. Filippo Sabatini was charged with five of those seven runs and was saddled with the loss. Offensively, right fielder Elian Adames had a nice day with two hits including a double and two RBIs. Star prospect Francisco Renteria did not appear in the game, as it was the final on the schedule for the DSL regular season, but the Phillies had already clinched a berth to the playoffs by winning the DSL East title. The playoffs will begin on Thursday.
