Home runs played a big part in a minor league sweep Sunday. Sergio Santos hit his sixth to help New Hampshire win a game in Portland. For Dunedin Kyle Phillips hit two home runs to tie the game and Jacob Butler hit a go-ahead home run to help the D-Jays to victory. Matt Liuzza, Brian Pettway and Josh Bell homered for the Lugnuts. Ty Taubenheim's best start of the year kept the Chiefs in the game until Russ Adams helped win it in the tenth. Jesse Litsch also pitched well while Travis Snider had four hits to pump his average to .392.
Louisville 2 Syracuse 3 - 10 innings
Ty Taubenheim had his best start of the season pitching six innings allowing three hits including a solo home run. Syracuse took the lead in the sixth without a hit, two walks, an error and two groundouts produced two runs. That held up until the ninth when Mark Bellhorn homered off Blaine Neal to tie the score. In the bottom of the tenth Russ Adams doubled off of lefty, and former Jay, Jason Kershner to lead off the inning and he later scored when John Hattig's infield single with two outs. Russ Adams, Ryan Roberts and John Hattig each had two hits. Of note Ismael Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning in relief, I am not sure if this is a permanent move.
Jesse Litsch pitched very well for the Fisher Cats, 5.1 innings, six hits and no walks allowed with both runs allowed being unearned. New Hampshire scored a run in the first when Dustin Majewski walked and scored on a sac fly. In the fourth Aaron Mathews singled and scored on a John Schneider double. New Hampshire tallied three runs in the fifth, Manny Mayorson singled and later scored on a Chip Cannon single. Cannon scored on a two run home run from Sergio Santos, his sixth. Jordan DeJong and Lee Gronkiewicz supplied 3.2 innings of hitless relief. Chip Cannon went 3-4 to raise his average to .194. Manny Mayorson and Aaron Mathews had two hits each.
Brandon Magee pitched four innings and allowed all four runs on six hits and four walks. Magee may not have pitched as badly as that sounds, all six hits were ground balls, two of them infield hits. Kristian Bell followed Magee and his four shutout innings gave the Jays a chance to get back in the game. Kyle Phillips got Dunedin started with a solo home run in the fifth and a two run home run in the sixth which tied the game. Phillips is hitting .178 after his three hits in this game so the two home runs are definitely unlikely. In the seventh Jacob Butler hit a two run home run to make it 6-4 and that was enough to get Dunedin the win. Butler had two hits and is off to a very nice start to the season with an OPS of .983. Last season Butler struck out 127 times in 430 at-bats, this season he has only 9 K's in 78 at-bats. Butler turned 24 in February.
Lansing took a 4-0 lead, went down 5-4, then rallied for the win. Lansing had some big lumber working on this day, Sean Shoffit triped and scored the first run, Matt Liuzza homered for the second run, and Brian Pettway hit a two run shot to make it 4-0. AJ Wideman gave up five straight hits in the sixth and left with the game tied 4-4. In the eighth, with the Lugnuts down 5-4, Josh Bell hit a 3 run home run to put Lansing back in front. Travis Snider doubled and scored in the ninth. Snider was 4-5 on the day to improve his average to .392.
3 star selection
3rd star - Jacob Butler, go-ahead 2 run home run
2nd star - Josh Bell, go-ahead 3 run home run
1st star - Kyle Phillips, 3 hits, two home runs, three RBI's
Team Records
Syracuse 8-13, 6th and last, 6 games behind
New Hampshire 12-7, 2nd place, 5 games behind
Dunedin 10-13, 3rd place, 5 games behind
Lansing 13-6, 2nd place, 2 games behind
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