Games of August 26

BUFFALO 1, ROCHESTER 0 IN BUFFALO (GAME 1—SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting star:  Matt Carson was 2-for-3 with two doubles.

Pitching star:  Esmerling Vasquez took a complete game loss, giving up one run on six hits and three walks while striking out seven in six innings.

Opposition star:  Zach Wheeler also pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Key inning:  The fourth.  It was a scoreless tie.  Carson led off the top of the inning with a double, but was picked off.  In the bottom of the inning, a walk, a single, and a sacrifice fly brought home the only run of the game.

Other:  Brian Dozier was ejected in the fifth inning after being called out on strikes.

ROCHESTER 11, BUFFALO 9 IN BUFFALO (GAME 2—SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Brian Dozier was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring four times.  Chris Parmelee was 2-for-3 with a triple and two walks.  Matt Carson was 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.

Pitching star:  Anthony Slama worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Matt Tuiasosopo was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Fred Lewis was 2-for-5 with a home run.

Key inning:  The fourth.  The Red Wings had come back from a 4-0 deficit to trail 5-3.  Singles by Dozier and Parmelee and a walk to Carson loaded the bases.  Wilkin Ramirez hit a three-run double to put Rochester ahead.

Other:  In 30.1 innings, Anthony Slama has an ERA of 0.59.  The Twins don’t seem to like him, but could he really be worse than Jeff Gray?

NEW HAMPSHIRE 8, NEW BRITAIN 7 IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Batting stars:  Aaron Hicks was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Chris Colabello was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, his nineteenth.  Oswaldo Arcia hit a grand slam for his eighth homer of the season.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Gabe Jacobo was 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a home run, scoring three times.  Ryan Schimpf was 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run.  Jake Marisnick was 2-for-3 with a double.

Key inning:  The ninth.  The Rock Cats trailed 7-3 when they scored four times to tie the game.  Singles by Shawn Roof, Hicks, and Josmil Pinto preceded a game-tying grand slam by Arcia.  In the bottom of the inning, a double and a pair of walks (one intentional) loaded the bases with two out, and Jacobo delivered a game-ending single for the Fisher Cats.

PALM BEACH AT FORT MYERS

Cancelled due to impending hurricane.

CEDAR RAPIDS 9, BELOIT 8 IN CEDAR RAPIDS (13 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Miguel Sano was 4-for-6 with a walk, two doubles, and a home run (his twenty-seventh), driving in three.  Wang-wei Lin was 3-for-5 with a double.  Stephen Wickens was 2-for-6 with a home run, his second.  He scored three times and drove in three.

Pitching stars:  Taylor Rogers struck out three and walked one in 2.1 scoreless innings.  Mason Melotakis struck out three in 1.2 perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Alex Yarbrough was 4-for-7 with a double, scoring three times.  Zachary Borenstein was 2-for-6 with a double and drove in four.  Zach Wright was 2-for-4 with two walks.

Other:  Beloit managed to score eight runs despite going 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

PRINCETON 8, ELIZABETHTON 6 IN ELIZABETHTON (10 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  D. J. Hicks hit a pinch-hit two-run homer, his fourth.  Jorge Polanco walked and hit a home run, his fifth.

Pitching star:  Tyler Duffey struck out three in two shutout innings, allowing one hit.

Opposition stars:  John Alexander was 3-for-5.  Brandon Martin was 2-for-5 with a double.  Reid Redman was 2-for-4 with a walk.

Key inning:  The tenth.  The Twins had scored four in the ninth to tie the score.  The Rays took the victory with two in the tenth.  A strikeout/passed ball, a single, and a bunt put runners on second and third with one out.  Oscar Hernandez delivered a two-run single to put Princeton ahead to stay.

PENNANT RACE UPDATE

Rochester is tied for fourth in the wild card race, 5.5 games behind Pawtucket.

New Britain is three games behind Reading for the last spot in the playoffs.