On the eve of the big club drafting 18 more Major League hopefuls, the boys already on the farm got it done with three wins in four tries.
Durham 5 @ Syracuse 6
The SkyChiefs sent Sean Douglass to the hill, and he handled B.J. Upton and the rest of the Devil Rays top farm club quite nicely for 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9. 1B Shawn Fagan was the hitting star for Syracuse, with his pair of homers accounting for 4 runs. He threw in a base hit for good measure. C Tim Whittaker was no slouch either, going 3 for 3 with a bomb and a double. 2B Jorge Sequa drove in the other run with a single. DH Gabe Gross and SS Russ Adams each tallied a single and a walk in 4 plate appearances.
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com. Recap - Post-Standard
New Britain 4 @ New Hampshire 2
The marquee pitching match up of the minor league night saw future Twin Boof Bonser face off with future Jay Josh Banks. As often seems to be the case when expectations are high, a pitching duel did not materialize. Bonser did his part, striking out 10 and walking just one in 6-1/3, but Banks was lifted after just 3-1/3, having given up one run on 4 hits and 2 walks. As reported by Fisher Cats Radio, Banks was hit by a ground ball in the 3rd inning. No word yet on whether he was hurt on the play, but simply based on how this season has gone for the Blue Jay organization, concern is in order.
Brandon League was ineffective, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits in relief, but at least he stuck it out for 3-2/3 innings. John Ogiltree and Adam Peterson were each good for a scoreless frame.
SS Aaron Hill was the only notable Fisher Cat hitter, going 2 for 4 with a homer. RF Ty Godwin went oh-fer with 3 strikeouts, while 3B Danny Solano wore a sombrero of sorts with 4 Ks in 4 trips.
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com.
Palm Beach 4 @ Dunedin 5 (10 innings)
Ninth hitter and shortstop Manny Mayorson singled home the winning run in the 10th as the Dunedin Blue Jays beat the visiting Cardinals. It was Punch & Judy night for the D-Jays, as they rapped out 9 singles and drew 6 walks. 3B Raul Tablado provided some sock, with a 3-run dinger, and RF Ron Davenport had the only other extra-base hit for the home team, a double. Curiously, the 6 walks issued by Cardinal pitchers went to just 3 players, as LF Jayce Tingler, 1B Big Vito and DH Gregg Raymundo each accepted 2 free passes. CF Miggy Negron collected three base knocks, while 2B Carlo Cota had a pair of singles.
Starter Kurt Isenberg battled through 7 innings, giving up 11 hits, including a homer, in allowing 4 runs. Izzy struck out 3 and walked one, as did Tracy Thorpe in 2 scoreless innings of relief. Bubbie Buzachero receipted for his first win of the season in recognition of his perfect 10th inning.
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com. Recap - DunedinBlueJays.com
Hickory 2 @ Charleston 5
Hickory Crawdads sounds like a menu item from a seedy down-south eatery. The Alley Cats did indeed chew them up and spit them out, Tom Mastny leading the way with 7 innings of 2-run ball. He did give up 7 hits along the way, and while one walk is nice, two strikeouts is less than ideal. Lefty Davis Romero turned in a perfect inning with one strikeout, and Brian “Double-A Or Bust” Reed did his thing in the ninth, striking out 3 while giving up a single. If you look real close, you can see Reed’s season ERA: 0.43.
On the offensive side, 1B Joey Reiman and LF Christian Snavely each had a single and a double, with Snavely also drawing a walk as he batted out of the 9 hole. The best line of the game belonged to CF Dave Smith, with a double and two walks. 2B Ryan Roberts contributed a single in 4 trips to the dish.
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com. Recap - Charleston Gazette
Three-Star Selection!
No homers? No stars!
The Third Star: Aaron Hill, New Hampshire. Added a single to go along with his homer.
The Second Star: Tim Whittaker, Syracuse. Added a single and a double to go along with his homer.
The First Star: Shawn Fagan, Syracuse. Added a single and a homer to go along with his homer.
Honourable Mention: Raul Tablado, Dunedin. Added grit and hustle to go along with his homer.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040608072409999