For a change the Jays top tier teams were victorious, while "THE ALLEY CATS LOSE". Did we ever think we would see this day?
Syracuse 3 Scranton 2
David Bush started for Syracuse hoping for more run support than the Chiefs supplied on Wednesday. The Chiefs scored one run in Wednesday's doubleheader, extending their losing streak to seven games. He did get more run support, thanks in part to the Scranton defence who made five errors on the night, leading to two unearned runs.
Scranton scored first on three hits in the second inning. Shawn Fagan reached on an error by the third baseman to lead off the third. Alexis Rios singled and Glenn Williams walked to load the bases. Jeff Guiel singled to tie the game but the go-ahead run was cut down at the plate to end the inning. Bush had a runner on third with two out in the third inning, and another on third with one out in the fourth inning, but each time he escaped.
An error at second base put Fagan on second with one out in the fifth. Simon Pond doubled him home to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead. Bush cruised through the fifth and sixth but the first two hitters in the seventh singled. Bush retired the next three hitters to escape another jam and end his night. Bush allowed seven hits and no walks, and had eleven K's on the night. It is good that Bush had several jams to work through. That experience will benefit him when he gets to the "Show". The Chiefs scored an insurance run in the ninth and again an error figured in. With two out, Jorge Sequea singled with two out and went to second on the error. Russ Adams doubled him home.
Aquilino Lopez pitched the ninth looking for the save. A single and a double put the tying run at second with no-one out. Lopez induced a ground ball to second for an out, but the runner from third scored. A strikeout and a ground out preserved the win for the Chiefs.
Simon Pond was the only Chief hitter with two hits on the night. Quote of the night from Chiefs manager Marty Peavy "I wish I had five David Bushes."
Game Story
The Scranton game story focused on David Bush.
Binghamton 1 New Hampshire 6
New Hampshire were glad to be back home after a 1-4 road trip. The Fisher Cats needed a strong start and Todd Ozias was up to the challenge. Ozias had pitched four innings in each of his previous two starts, but on Thursday Ozias pitched six strong innings, facing only 19 hitters. Wayne Lydon doubled in the first and was out trying to steal third. Lydon singled again in the fourth and was erased on a double play ball hit by David Wright. A sixth inning home run was the only blemish on his record. Ozias allowed three hits and no walks over his six innings. Binghamton registered a total of six hits on the night, three by Lydon, and each time he was out on the bases. In the seventh he singled off Brandon League and was erased on a second double play ball hit by David Wright. Wright was featured this week in a Baseball America piece, but on this night he failed to reach base in a game for the first time this season. First there was the SI jinx, now it is the BA jinx.
Manager Mike Basso juggled his lineup to try to change the Cat's fortunes. Aaron Hill dropped from third to sixth in the lineup and Danny Solano was elevated from ninth to second. The new lineup paid off in the second inning. John Ford Griffin walked and Hill singled. An error by the Binghamton second baseman loaded the bases and put Paul Chiaffredo at first. Mikael Jova came through with the big hit to score two and put the Cats on top.
The Cats added to their lead in the third. Solano singled and went to third on a hit by Dominic Rich. Matt Logan doubled to score both runners and make it a 4-0 lead. In the sixth Griffin was hit by a pitch, Chiaffredo singled and Jova came through with a double to score both and give the Cats a 6-1 lead.
Brandon League, recovered from the snow in Akron, pitched the seventh and eighth allowing one hit in each inning. Adam Peterson came in for the save and gave up a single to the first batter. The next two hitters struck out and a fly ball to right field gave the Fisher Cats a much needed win.
Kevin Gray has the game story.
The Union Leader has a story on managers Mike Basso's managing style.
Jupiter 5 Dunedin 3
On April 19th Francisco Rosario left the game with a tight bicep. He skipped a turn and returned to the rotation last night to the relief of Jays fans everywhere. Rosario was rusty. He allowed a two run home run in the first and another hit in the second. Rosario left after two innings and nine hitters. I assume this was a precautionary move by the Jays to give him forty pitches and reassess before his next start.
On Wednesday the Jays tallied 17 hits and they were hoping there were some left for this game. The Jays answered in the bottom of the first. Jayce Tingler walked and Carlo Cota doubled him home to make it 2-1.
Vince Perkins started the third in relief of Rosario. Perkins retired four hitters before allowing a walk. Tommie Ozuna immediately got the call to replace Perkins. The move did not pay off as two singles scored the walk and gave Jupiter a 3-1 lead. The Jays answered in the bottom of the fourth. Jason Waugh led off with a single and later scored on a hit by Manny Mayerson. The runs kept on coming as Jupiter restored their two run lead in the top of the fifth and the Jays got that run back in the bottom of the fifth. Miguel Negron singled to lead off the inning and later scored on a sac fly by Jose yepez.
Jamie Vermilyea pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh but allowed a home run to lead off the eighth. That was it for the scoring.
Cota had three hits on the night, and Waugh and Mayerson had two hits each.
Charleston 1 Delmarva 3
Charleston took their twelve game hit streak on the road to Delmarva. Delmarva are one of two teams to have beaten Charleston this year, and now the only team to have beaten them twice.
Tom Mastny started and cruised through the first two innings. In the third a walk, a stolen base, and a single gave Delmarva the lead. Mastny allowed three straight hits, and a run, to start the fourth but managed to escape with a 2-0 deficit. Charleston got one run back in the fifth. Juan Peralta walked and Robinson Diaz doubled him home.
Delmarva had runners at first and third in the eighth. The old double steal worked like a charm to give Delmarva an insurance run. Charleston fought back in the ninth. David Smith walked and with one out Mike Galloway doubled to put the tying run at second. But Brian Patrick popped up and Eric Arnold struck out to end the winning streak at twelve games.
Mastnypiched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. Diaz went 3-4 and Ryan Roberts was 0-2 with two walks.
Our Three-Star Selection
The 3rd Star: Mikael Jova, 2-4 with four RBI's
The 2nd Star: Todd Ozias, faced one hitter over the minimum in six innings
The 1st Star: David Bush, seven strong innings with eleven K's
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040430100934999