Buffalo 2, Syracuse 1
Box score, game story
Well, that was a high-scoring affair. No runs were scored from the top of the fourth to the top of the tenth. Chad Gaudin left after six, giving up only one run among six strikeouts. At least this time I didn't jinx his no-hitter. Jason Arnold, recast as a relief pitcher, got stuck with the loss despite the following results: out, strikeout, out, hit, strikeout, strikeout, strikeout. Too bad that hit was a solo homerun by Jake Gautreau in the top of the 10th. Jesse Carlson also made an appearance, pitching two scoreless innings. Ernie Young of the Bisons struck out every time he came up to the plate -- not a good night.
Among the hitters, John-Ford Griffin doubled and homered, both scoring and driving in Syracuse's only run of the game. Bryant Nelson went 1-for-4, lowering his average to .429.
New Hampshire 1, Norwich 0
Box score, game story
Is cold weather hindering the offence? The Fisher Cats and Navigators combined for just six hits yesterday in their second-straight 1-0 game. Yes, six hits. Of the three for New Hampshire, Rob Cosby had two of them, including an RBI single. He drove in Maikel Jova, who had reached via one of the two extra-base hits in the game; a double in the bottom of the fourth.
Josh Banks was terrific, striking out five in seven innings and giving up only one hit. By the time I was eating lunch, he already had a K. There was some more great pitching from Jordan De Jong and Lee Gronkiewicz as well, with 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively. "Gronk" recorded his second consecutive one-inning, 1-0 save.
Another play of note was Jova's throw from RF in the bottom of the sixth to nail Tim Hutting at home, running from first on a double. This would have tied the game, but it was a 9-4-2 putout instead. Carlo Cota had the "beautiful" relay throw on the play.
Dunedin 11, Sarasota 3
Box score
The only game played south of the Mason-Dixon line is the only game with more than seven runs scored. Sarsota's Josh Hall didn't make it out of the fourth inning, with nine hits and seven runs (six earned) charged to his name. It was 10-3 after that inning, so the game was over before it became official.
Adam Lind drove in five with a three-run homer and a two-run single. Every starter collected a hit, except Eric Arnold...but he walked and scored, so that's good enough. Scott Dragicevich and David Smith had three hits, and Justin James pitched three innings and struck out three. For more on this game, check out a first-hand report from jim854 here.
Lansing 4, South Bend 3
Box score, game story
David Corrente collected three hits, but his most important one was in the bottom of the eleventh. With Luke Hetherington on second, the Chatham boy drove a single up the middle to score the winning run. Ryan Klosterman added a homerun, and Box favourite Chip Cannon had a double.
Another Canadian farmhand, Aaron Wideman, picked off two batters at first and had retired the first 11 batters he faced until the fourth, when he walked Mark Reynolds and Cesar Nicolas -- make that Czar Nicolas, I'm sure he's never heard that one before -- whacked a two-run shot to left. The Other Joey McLaughlin earned the win after pitching the 11th.
Three-Star Selection:
3. David Corrente
2. Josh Banks
1. Adam Lind
Today’s Games:
Syracuse (Rosario) vs Buffalo, 6:00 ET.
New Hampshire (Perkins) @ Binghamton, 6:00 ET.
Dunedin (MacDonald) @ Fort Myers, 7:05 ET.
Lansing (Yates) vs South Bend, 6:05 ET.
