Francisco Rosario was great but Gabe Gross stole the spotlight. Josh Banks is back on form, the Dunedin bats were mashing, while Lansing were all wet. A 3-0 Sunday on the farm.
Syracuse 5 Columbus 1 - 12 innings
Gabe Gross hit his first home run of the season, off Colter Bean, leading off the twelfth inning, to break a scoreless tie and lead the Chiefs to victory. Gross also ended the inning with an RBI single, with the second runner being thrown out at the plate. In between Gross's two hits Jason Alfaro doubled in a run and John Schneider singled in two more. Syracuse had five hits through eleven innings but bunched four more hits in the twelfth. Gross and Nelson were the only Chiefs with two hits, John Ford Griffin had a hit and two walks.
The Chiefs made it to the twelfth thanks to Francisco Rosario's best start of the year. Rosario was perfect through six innings. In the seventh Columbus had a hit, to break up the perfect game, and a walk, but Rosario went on to retire the next five hitters in a row. Rosario left after eight, one hit and one walk allowed with six strikeouts. After Jason Arnold pitched two strong innings, Spike Lundberg loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eleventh. Lundberg had to face Bubba Crosby, who had beaten the Jays a week ago, but he struck him out and escaped the threat. Rosario has now lowered his ERA to 2.56.
Game StoryReading 3 New Hampshire 6
Josh Banks had allowed eleven runs in his last two starts but was back on form yesterday allowing two runs over seven innings. Things didn't start too well as the first two hitters singled and doubled. But Josh settled down to retire thirteen in a row, followed by a single and a double play, so it was fifteen up and fifteen down. Banks allowed another run in the sixth to put the Fisher Cats down 2-0. In the bottom of the sixth New Hamsphire loaded the bases with no-one out, then singles by Jason Waugh, Miguel Negron and Kevin Barker scored four runs and a sac fly made it 5-2. In the eighth Negron singled, stole second and scored on a single by Carlo Cota. Jamie Vermilyea and Lee Gronkiewicz finished out.
Banks went seven innings, allowing six hits, no walks and six K's. Cota went 3-4 and Negron 2-5.
Game StoryDunedin 16 St. Lucie 7
Michael MacDonald struggled yesterday and was gone after 3.1 innings. St. Lucie scored five runs off MacDonald on six hits and two walks. MacDonald left with Dunedin trailing 5-3 but the Jays scored the next 13 runs before St. Lucie scored two in the bottom of the ninth. Justin James and Brad Mumma pitched 4.2 shutout innings in relief.
Dunedin scored three runs in the fourth, five more in the fifth, and eight in the last three innings, and totalled 20 hits. Ryan Roberts, John Hattig and Robinzon Diaz had three hits each, five other hitters had two each. Dunedin had only two extra base hits, a home run by Roberts and a triple by Manny Mayorson.
Lansing - rained out
Your Three Star Selection
Third star - Josh Banks, two runs in seven innings
Second Star - Gabe Gross, game winning home run
First Star - Francisco Rosario, one hit over eight innings
Honourable Mention - The Dunedin offense, it was tough to pick just one
Standings Update
Syracuse record is 20-23. The Chiefs are fifth, seven games back of Buffalo.
The Fisher Cats are 22-19, in third place, one and a half games behind Portland.
Dunedin's record is 27-17 which puts them in second place, two and a half games behind Lakeland.
The Lugnuts are 22-20, in third place, two and a half games behind South Bend
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