Columbus Clippers 9, Indianapolis Indians 4 (F/10)
Clippers improve to 37-30
This game was a wild ride as Columbus fell behind early, rallied late, then erupted for five runs in the 10th inning to turn it into a surprise extra inning blowout.
We have to start with Juan Brito, who had a spectacular game. Brito went 4-for-5 with a walk to reach base safely a whopping five times.
Milan Tolentino also was terrific, going 2-for-3 with a double and two walks. Angel Genao doubled and walked while Petey Halpin had two hits and a stolen base and CJ Kayfus went 2-for-4 with an RBI before being pulled late in the game.
Starting pitcher Rorik Maltrud allowed two runs on four hits in 5.0 innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Trenton Denholm was decent in long relief, allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and no walks in 4.1 frames. Steven Perez then finished off the game with 0.2 scoreless innings and a strikeout.
Akron RubberDucks 5, Erie SeaWolves 4
RubberDucks improve to 32-30
Akron rallied late to pull this one off, scoring four runs in the final two innings to come back and beat Erie.
Leading the charge was Jacob Cozart, who went 3-for-4 with a double. Alfonsin Rosario went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk while Joe Lampe went 2-for-4 and Jaison Chourio went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Starting pitcher Justin Campbell was solid, allowing two runs (one earned) in 4.2 innings on four hits. He struck out six and walked two.
Carter Rustad allowed one run in 1.1 innings of relief, as did Jay Driver in 2.0 innings. Jack Carey earned the save despite walking the bases loaded and giving everyone a heart attack in the bottom of the ninth.
Lake County Captains 9, West Michigan Whitecaps 8
Captains improve to 35-26
This game was a wild ride as Lake County fell behind early, rallied to take the lead, blew the lead then walked it off.
Dean Curley had himself a game, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and walk. Also homering was Esteban Gonzalez, who went 1-for-3 with a walk and a steal.
Leadoff hitter Tommy Hawke continues to be an excellent table-setter, going 2-for-5 with a double, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Bennett Thompson also had a monster game, going 2-for-3 with two walks.
The walk-off moment wasn’t exactly sexy. Lake County tied the game on an RBI groundout from Jeffrey Mercedes and then won it on a wild pitch.
Starting pitcher Franklin Gomez was decent, allowing three runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Xavier Martinez followed with 1.2 perfect scoreless frames and surprisingly, West Michigan got to Cam Schuelke, who allowed four runs on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
Hill City Howlers 4, Wilson Warbirds 3 (Game 1)
Hill City Howlers 1, Wilson Warbirds 0 (Game 2)
Howlers improve to 30-32
Juneiker Caceres was spectacular in game one, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Anthony Martinez also was excellent, going 2-for-3 with a walk while Cannon Peebles blasted a two-run home run and also walked.
Top infield prospect Gabriel Rodriguez was back in action, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base.
Starting pitcher Jacob Zibin only pitched one scoreless inning with no hits, a strikeout and a walk. I’ll be keeping my eye out for why he was pulled so quickly.
Ryan Prager followed with 3.0 scoreless innings of long relief and Zane Petty added three more scoreless innings before running into trouble in the eighth frame, when he allowed three runs. Angel Perez then closed things down with a scoreless ninth inning to earn his fifth save.
In game two, the game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Anthony Martinez walked it off with a solo shot. Martinez went 2-for-3 in the game. Jonathan Martinez also had a strong game, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk and Luis De La Cruz doubled and stole a base.
Will McCausland was fantastic in game two, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings of four-hit ball with three strikeouts and two walks. Keegan Zinn finished off the game with a scoreless seventh inning.
ACL Guardians 9, ACL White Sox 6
Guardians improve to 21-12
The ACL Guardians are on fire, led by Venezuelan catcher Reiner Herrera. He had the game of his life on Saturday, going 4-for-5 with a whopping three home runs and a double. He has been a revelation this season, blasting off for 11 home runs already in 31 games and currently is slashing a ridiculous .330/.485/.740 as a 20-year-old in the ACL.
Estivel Morillo also had a great game, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a stolen base while Delmagro went 2-for-4 and Carlos Garces went 1-for-3 with a walk and two steals.
A rehabbing Yorman Gomez allowed three runs on four hits in 3.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Trevor Stephan allowed a solo home run with two strikeouts in 1.1 frames.
