Syracuse dropped their eighth straight last night, but Dunedin broke a five-game skid with a late-inning comeback. Charleston also won and is sitting on a 24-8 record.
Syracuse 5 at Richmond 8
When you've just lost seven games in a row, you tend to rely on your ace starter to turn things around. That doesn't usually involve spotting the other team a seven-run lead after five innings. David Bush was sharp for the first three innings of this game, allowing just one baserunner while fanning four. With two out and two on in the fourth, Shawn Fagan made an error that allowed Charles Thomas to reach base. Bush fell apart after that, allowing four runs on a double and a single before getting the third out. In the fifth inning, Bush gave up a leadoff double, got the next two batters out, and then coughed up a double and a two-run homer. At that point he was replaced by Mark Lukasiewicz. Syracuse made a valiant comeback attempt: Shawn Fagan drove home Noah Hall on a single in the sixth, and Gabe Gross and Simon Pond hit two-run homers in the seventh and eighth. However, comebacks are generally only described as "valiant" if they cannot be described as "successful," and that maxim was true on this night.
Russ Adams was the only SkyChief with two hits (a single and a double). Pond went 1 for 4 with a home run, and Gross went 1 for 3 with a home run and a walk. Alex Rios and Glenn Williams each went 1 for 4 with a double. Noah Hall went 1 for 2 with a double and two walks. Bush pitched 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs (three earned) on seven hits (including the two-run homer) and a walk while striking out six. Lukasiewicz, Vinnie Chulk, and Aquilino Lopez pitched 3.1 innings of effective relief, the only run coming on a solo shot off Lukasiewicz. Lopez hasn't allowed a run in five games (7.1 innings) since his demotion.
Dunedin 5 at Vero Beach 3
Dunedin's game also featured a late-inning comeback, but this one was successful. (You can call it valiant as well if you like.) The D-Jays took an early lead on John Schneider's solo home run in the third inning, and Ismael Ramirez held the lead through five innings. Vero Beach tied the game in the sixth on some well-executed small ball: a bunt single, a single to left, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly. It doesn't always work, but it's pretty when it does. Ramirez left after allowing a leadoff walk and a double to start the seventh, and Andy Torres promptly cashed in both runners by throwing a passed ball and then giving up a base hit. However, the baseball gods were smiling on Torres on this day, as they so often have in the past month. With two out in the top of the eighth, Jayce Tingler reached first on an error by shortstop Joel Guzman. After a wild pitch, a single by Carlo Cota, and a two-run homer by Ron Davenport, Dunedin had a 4-3 lead. Scott Dragicevich singled in the ninth to score Rodney Medina (who had tripled) for an insurance run, and Bubbie Buzachero set the Dodgers down in order in the eighth and ninth to preserve the lead. Torres got the win, running his record to 4-0.
Davenport, Medina, and Brad Hassey each had two hits for the Jays. Cota, with a single and a walk, was the only other Dunedin player to reach base twice. Davenport's homer and Medina's triple were the only extra-base hits. Ramirez finished with a line of 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K.
Charleston 5 at Augusta 1
Charleston broke out on top in the third inning when Robinson Diaz hit a run-scoring grounder with the bases loaded and one out. Ramon Mora got the start for Charleston and was wild, though effectively so. He allowed the Greenjackets to tie the game in the fourth thanks to a double, a wild pitch, and a passed ball, but he didn't permit another run in six innings of work. Mora surrendered three hits, two walks, two hit batsmen, and the wild pitch and passed ball; he only recorded a single strikeout. Charleston pushed four runs across the plate in the late innings to pull ahead for good. The run-scoring plays were pretty diverse, ranging from Eric Arnold's RBI double to Robinson Diaz's bases-loaded infield hit to Ryan Roberts' bases-loaded walk to Christian Snavely's RBI single. Davis Romero and Brian Reed closed the game out for Charleston.
Every AlleyCat reached base at least twice except for Clint Johnston (who had a frustrating game, going 0 for 5 with a strikeout and an inning-ending bases-loaded double-play ball in the seventh) and Brian Patrick (1 for 5). Arnold and Mike Galloway each chipped in a double. Charleston totalled ten hits and seven walks on the night.
Links of the Day
The fabulous MinorLeagueBaseball.com site has a feature on Josh Banks.
Today's Games
Syracuse (Sean Douglass) at Richmond (ATL), 7:00 PM
New Hampshire (Ryan Houston and Todd Ozias) at Trenton (NYY), 11:05 AM and 2:05 PM (doubleheader)
Dunedin (Kurt Isenberg) at Vero Beach (LAD), 7:00 PM
Charleston (Danny Core) at Augusta (BOS), TBA
Projected starters are based on educated guesses. Which is to say, take them with a grain of salt, and correct me if I'm wrong.
Three-Star Selection!
Our Third Star: Gabe Gross, Syracuse. One for three with a two-run home run and a walk. On May 1, Gross was hitting .233/.263/.301 with 3 BB and 20 K in 73 AB. Since then, he's hit .321/.424/.500 with 5 BB and 2 K in 28 AB.
Our Second Star: Bubbie Buzachero, Dunedin. Short relievers don't often win stars, but Buzachero earned it on this night with an old-school two-inning save. He came into the game with a one-run lead and retired all six batters that he faced, fanning half of them.
Our First Star: Ron Davenport, Dunedin. His two-out, two-run home run in the eighth inning gave Dunedin a come-from-behind victory. He also chipped in a single.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040511122515999