It has been that kind of season. When the good guys rally, they fall just short. When the guys in the business suits, as Willie Nelson calls them, rally, they come out ahead. The farm affiliates ended up 1-3 on the night.
Syracuse 7 @ Indianapolis 9
A late Chief rally fell just short as the Indians triumphed. Indy led 2-1 after 6 innings, before erupting for 7 runs off Jamie Vermilyea in the 7th inning. It sounds worse than it was. A ground out and a single started the frame. Shortstop Brad Hassey muffed a ground ball, and a groundball single and an infield single followed. Vermilyea uncharacteristically hit a batter, and then gave up a line drive single and his day was done. Two doubles off Jim Crowell completed the ugly frame. The Syracuse comeback began with a Ryan Roberts two-run rip in the eighth. Down by six entering the ninth, the Chiefs continued to rally. Chad Mottola walked, John Hattig followed with a bloop single and Erik Kratz to load the bases with nobody out. RBI singles from Jeff Duncan and Wayne Lydon sandwiched around an RBI groundout brought the tying run to the plate with one out. Russ Adams lined out and Ryan Roberts struck out to end the threat. Lydon went 3-5 on the evening.
Connecticut 1 @ New Hampshire 12
The F-Cats roughed up Defender start Darren "Sad" Sack for eight earned runs in 4 innings. A passed ball and a Ryan Patterson RBI single got the Cats on the board with 2 runs in the first. Chip Cannon hit his 4th homer, a 2 run shot, in the 3rd inning to extend the lead, and then Ryan Patterson put it on ice early with a 2 out grand slam in the 4th inning. David Smith and John Schneider homered in the 5th inning and Schneider gilded the lily with a 2 run blast in the seventh. Kurt Isenberg was the beneficiary of this run support and threw a complete game seven-hitter in his 2007 Eastern League debut. Isenberg walked nobody and struck out eight.
Dunedin 3 @ Vero Beach 4
Ow. Aaron Tressler and hot D-Ray prospect Jacob McGee matched zeroes for five innings. The Jays broke through for three runs in the sixth inning when McGee loaded the bases on walks and Carlo Cota and Eric Nielsen followed with a run-scoring single and a two-run double respectively. Tressler departed after 6 innings of 2 hit, 2 walk, 7 strikeout shutout ball. Lovely. Sean Stidfole held the fort in the 7th and 8th innings, before the disastrous ninth of Conor Falkenbach and the Jay defence. The leadoff hitter reached on shortstop Luis Sanchez' error. A walk and an infield single were followed by a 2 run double. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Falkenbach induced a tapper back to the mound before a single and a throwing error by Jacob Butler ended the game.
Quad Cities 7 @ Lansing 4
The Swing scored 5 runs in the third inning off Zach Dials to turn this one around. The Luggies opened the scoring with two runs in the first on a run-scoring double by Matthew Lane and a run-scoring single from Chris Emanuele. Dials retired the first two batters of the third inning, before the Swing went double, walk, homer, single, single, double and that was that. Dials' defence went AWOL in the fifth inning leading to two more runs, as a walk, an error, two infield singles and a double play gave the Swing a five-run lead half-way through the game. A Sean Shoffit triple, a Brian Pettway double and a couple of compensatory Swing errors in the bottom of the fifth brought the Lugs back within three runs, but that was it for the scoring. Julio Pinto and Edward Rodriguez each pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Lansing. Pettway went 2-3 with a walk.
3 stars
3rd star- Kurt Isenberg
2nd star- Aaron Tressler
1st star- Ryan Patterson
Syracuse 7 @ Indianapolis 9
A late Chief rally fell just short as the Indians triumphed. Indy led 2-1 after 6 innings, before erupting for 7 runs off Jamie Vermilyea in the 7th inning. It sounds worse than it was. A ground out and a single started the frame. Shortstop Brad Hassey muffed a ground ball, and a groundball single and an infield single followed. Vermilyea uncharacteristically hit a batter, and then gave up a line drive single and his day was done. Two doubles off Jim Crowell completed the ugly frame. The Syracuse comeback began with a Ryan Roberts two-run rip in the eighth. Down by six entering the ninth, the Chiefs continued to rally. Chad Mottola walked, John Hattig followed with a bloop single and Erik Kratz to load the bases with nobody out. RBI singles from Jeff Duncan and Wayne Lydon sandwiched around an RBI groundout brought the tying run to the plate with one out. Russ Adams lined out and Ryan Roberts struck out to end the threat. Lydon went 3-5 on the evening.
Connecticut 1 @ New Hampshire 12
The F-Cats roughed up Defender start Darren "Sad" Sack for eight earned runs in 4 innings. A passed ball and a Ryan Patterson RBI single got the Cats on the board with 2 runs in the first. Chip Cannon hit his 4th homer, a 2 run shot, in the 3rd inning to extend the lead, and then Ryan Patterson put it on ice early with a 2 out grand slam in the 4th inning. David Smith and John Schneider homered in the 5th inning and Schneider gilded the lily with a 2 run blast in the seventh. Kurt Isenberg was the beneficiary of this run support and threw a complete game seven-hitter in his 2007 Eastern League debut. Isenberg walked nobody and struck out eight.
Dunedin 3 @ Vero Beach 4
Ow. Aaron Tressler and hot D-Ray prospect Jacob McGee matched zeroes for five innings. The Jays broke through for three runs in the sixth inning when McGee loaded the bases on walks and Carlo Cota and Eric Nielsen followed with a run-scoring single and a two-run double respectively. Tressler departed after 6 innings of 2 hit, 2 walk, 7 strikeout shutout ball. Lovely. Sean Stidfole held the fort in the 7th and 8th innings, before the disastrous ninth of Conor Falkenbach and the Jay defence. The leadoff hitter reached on shortstop Luis Sanchez' error. A walk and an infield single were followed by a 2 run double. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Falkenbach induced a tapper back to the mound before a single and a throwing error by Jacob Butler ended the game.
Quad Cities 7 @ Lansing 4
The Swing scored 5 runs in the third inning off Zach Dials to turn this one around. The Luggies opened the scoring with two runs in the first on a run-scoring double by Matthew Lane and a run-scoring single from Chris Emanuele. Dials retired the first two batters of the third inning, before the Swing went double, walk, homer, single, single, double and that was that. Dials' defence went AWOL in the fifth inning leading to two more runs, as a walk, an error, two infield singles and a double play gave the Swing a five-run lead half-way through the game. A Sean Shoffit triple, a Brian Pettway double and a couple of compensatory Swing errors in the bottom of the fifth brought the Lugs back within three runs, but that was it for the scoring. Julio Pinto and Edward Rodriguez each pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Lansing. Pettway went 2-3 with a walk.
3 stars
3rd star- Kurt Isenberg
2nd star- Aaron Tressler
1st star- Ryan Patterson
