Two affiliates fell short in their playoff chases on Friday. The GCL Jays lost and now need help to make the playoffs on Saturday when they play their final game of the regular season. Lansing lost and dropped their series against playoff rival West Michigan. Lansing are three games out of a playoff spot. Las Vegas and New Hampshire also lost.
Dunedin and Auburn broke out the big bats on their way to wins. Carlos Perez had three hits and three RBI's and Gustavo Pierre had four hits for Auburn. Mike McDade and Ryan Schimpf had four hits each, including a home run, for Dunedin.
Sean Henn was fine through two innings but gave up three runs in the third before leaving with an apparant injury. Merkin Valdez got the call in relief and gave up one run in 3.1 innings. Trailing 4-0, Las Vegas got back into the game with a three run sixth. But newly signed Willie Collazo was tagged for six runs over two innings to put the game out of reach. Jarrett Hoffpauir and Brad Emaus each hit solo home runs.
Hoffpauir had three hits, JP Arencibia and Mike Jacobs had two hits each.
BJ LaMura started and had just given up one run through five innings, but when he walked two hitters in the sixth Vince Bongiovanni was called on in relief. Bongiovanni surrendered a home run to the first hitter he faced and the Fisher Cats were down 4-1.
New Hampshire scored in the fifth, Darin Mastroianni tripled and Adeiny Hechavarria singled him in. The score stayed that way until Dumas Garcia gave up a home run in the ninth.
Each team had five hits, Hechavarria had two for the Fisher Cats.
Dunedin had a 9-1 lead after five innings. Boomer Potts was bombed for five runs in relief but the Jays hung on for the win. Chuck Huggins pitched five innings and the only run off him was unearned.
The Jays scored twice in the first inning. Anthony Gose singled, stole second and scored on a single by Ryan Schimpf. Mike McDade singled in Schimpf. Gose singled in a run in the second and he scored when Schimpf doubled. McDade hit his 20th home run in the third. Schimpf homered as part of a four run fifth inning.
Evan Crawford worked the last 2.1 innings and is now working on a streak of 13 shutout innings.
Schimpf and McDade each had four hits, Gose and Concepcion Rodriguez had two hits each.
Drew Hutchison started and gave up both runs, one scored on a bases loaded walk, the second was unearned as two hits wrapped around an error. Lansing's only run came in the fourth, Brad Glenn tripled and scored on a wild pitch. The Lugnuts had a couple of chances to score, the best came in ths seventh when Eric Eiland led off with a double and was bunted to third but the next two hitters were unable to get him home.
Eric Eiland was the only Lugnut with two hits. Lansing lost the series with their playoff rival and dropped three games back of a playoff spot.
Four pitchers combined on the shutout, Sean Nolin started and wasn't dominating but stayed away from the big hit.
Carlos Perez drove in the first two Auburn runs in the first and third innings. In the third Lance Durham followed with a triple and sac fly made it 4-0. The next seven runs scored on a combination of singles, walks and errors. Three Auburn hitters had ten of the 14 Auburn hits. Gustavo Pierre was 4-5, Carlos Perez and Steve McQuail had three hits each. Perez and Oliver Dominguez had three RBI's each.
The Jays had a chance to stay in control of their playoff destiny but were soundly trounced by the Pirates. Tyler Powell started and was hit around for six runs in four innings. Milcaides Santana who followed gave up two more runs.
The Jays only run came in the bottom of the ninth when Moises Sierra hit a home run. Sierra and Kellen Sweeney had two hits each.
Three Stars
3rd star - Mike McDade
2nd star - Ryan Schimpf
1st star - Carlos Perez
