Games of April 12

Errors sink the Red Wings.  Wildness sinks the Lookouts.  The Yankees win late against Fort Myers.  Home runs lead the Kernels to the organization's lone win.

BUFFALO 5, ROCHESTER 2 IN BUFFALO

A single, a walk, and two errors led to two Bisons runs in the second.  It was 4-0 Buffalo before the Red Wings finally got on the board in the seventh on RBI singles by Leonardo Reginatto and Matt Hague.  They had the tying run on base at that point, but their last seven batters went out to end the game.  Rochester made four errors in the game, leading to four unearned runs.

David Hurlbut pitched 5.1 innings, giving up four runs (all unearned) on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Hague was 2-for-4, as were Ben Paulsen and Niko Goodrum.  The Red Wings had eight hits, all singles.

JACKSONVILLE 7, CHATTANOOGA 1 IN JACKSONVILLE

Three walks led to three runs in the second and a walk and a hit batsman preceded a grand slam by Taylor Ard in the third as the Jumbo Shrimp cruised to an easy win.  Dan Rohlfing tripled and scored on a ground out in the fourth for the lone Lookouts run.

Kohl Stewart, who had been brilliant in his first start, was hurt by wildness in this one, surrendering seven runs on four hits and five walks with three strikeouts in 2.1 innings.  Todd Van Steensel struck out six in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.  Randy Rosario pitched two perfect innings of relief.  Nick Burdi struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Engelb Vielma was 2-for-4.

TAMPA 3, FORT MYERS 2 IN TAMPA

The Miracle led 2-1 through seven, but Jhalan Jackson homered in the eighth to tie it and Nick Solak delivered an RBI single with two out in the ninth to give the Yankees the win.

Dereck Rodriguez pitched well in defeat, going eight innings (93 pitches) and giving up two runs on six hits and no walks with six strikeouts.  The winning run scored off Michael Theofanopolous, who pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up a run on two hits.  Fort Myers had six hits, all singles.  As a team, the Miracle is batting .232 with an OPS of .597.  The batting average is eighth and the OPS is ninth in the twelve-team league.

CEDAR RAPIDS 4, KANE COUNTY 1 IN KANE COUNTY

Mitchell Kranson homered in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie.  Jaylin Davis homered in the eighth to make it 3-1 and Ariel Montesino tripled and scored in the ninth.  The lone Cougars run scored in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk.

Eduardo Del Rosario struck out seven in 4.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks, but was replaced after the bases-loaded walk.  Andrew Vasquez struck out three in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Colton Davis struck out two in a perfect inning.  Kranson was 2-for-4.  Jaylin Davis was 1-for-3 and also walked.  Jermaine Palacios was 2-for-4.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:05  Rochester (Jose Berrios, 1-0. 0.00) at Buffalo (Jarrett Grube, 1-0, 3.60)
6:05  Chattanooga (Matt Tracy, 0-0, 1.59) at Jacksonville (Matt Tomshaw, 0-1, 3.60)
6:05  Fort Myers (Cody Stashak, 0-1, 4.50) at Daytona (Jose Lopez, 0-1, 1.69)
6:35  Wisconsin (Jordan Desguin, 1-0, 0.00) at Cedar Rapids (Tyler Wells, 0-0, 4.50)

Games of April 11

Aaron Slegers pitches a gem for Rochester.  Not enough hitters for the Miracle.  Travis Blankenhorn is hot for the Kernels.

ROCHESTER 5, BUFFALO 0 IN BUFFALO

Aaron Slegers threw six no-hit innings (81 pitches).  Trevor Hildenberger held the Bisons hitless in the seventh but gave up a pair of singles in the eighth, the only hits Buffalo had.  It was scoreless until the sixth, when Kennys Vargas homered.  Consecutive doubles by Niko Goodrum and J. B. Shuck made it 2-0 in the seventh.  A leadoff walk followed by consecutive two-out doubles by Ben Paulsen and Goodrum made it 4-0 in the eighth, and Tommy Field finished the scoring with a home run in the ninth.

Slegers struck out seven and walked three in his six innings.  Goodrum was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Paulsen was 2-for-4 with a double.  Byungho Park was placed on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain.

TAMPA 2, FORT MYERS 1 IN TAMPA

The Miracle scored one in the first, the Yankees scored two in the third, and that was it.  The Miracle only got two runners as far as second base after the first inning:  in the fourth, on a single and a walk, and in the eighth, on a one-out double.

Fort Myers had seven hits, but they were all by two players:  Chris Paul was 4-for-4 with two doubles and Alex Perez was 3-for-4.  Lachlan Wells had a solid high-A debut, striking out six in five innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk.  Sam Clay struck out three in two shutout innings despite giving up two hits and a walk.  Williams Ramirez struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

CEDAR RAPIDS 6, KANE COUNTY 1 IN KANE COUNTY

The Kernels scored three times in the first and led all the way.  Shane Carrier had an RBI double and Brandon Lopez a run-scoring single in the inning.  They added single runs in the second and third and never led by less than four after that.

Tyler Beardsley pitched five innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts, throwing 78 pitches (the Twins seem to have pretty much everybody on about an 80 pitch limit so far).  Brady Anderson did even better, pitching four perfect innings with three strikeouts.  Travis Blankenhorn was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run (his third).  Carrier was also 2-for-4.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  Cedar Rapids (Eduardo Del Rosario, 1-0, 0.00) at Kane County (Jon Duplantier, 0-0, 0.00
12:00  Rochester (David Hurlbut) at Buffalo (Mike Bolsinger)
6:00  Fort Myers (Dereck Rodriguez, 0-1, 8.31) at Tampa (Tyler Widener, 0-1, 7.71)
6:05  Chattanooga (Kohl Stewart, 0-1, 0.00) at Jacksonville (Dillon Peters, 1-0, 1.80)

Games of April 10

The Red Wings take their first loss.  A big comeback by the Lookouts.  Randy LeBlanc pitches seven shutout innings.  Clark Beeker pitches well in a loss.

BUFFALO 9, ROCHESTER 4 IN BUFFALO

The Red Wings' hot start came to a crashing halt.  The Bisons scored three in the second inning and led all the way.  Rochester got back into it in the top of the seventh, scoring on a Leonardo Reginatto home run and a Niko Goodrum RBI single to cut the lead to 4-2.  But Mike Ohlman's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh got both runs back for Buffalo and the Red Wings were never able to cut the lead to less than three after that.  Adding injury to insult, Byungho Park appeared to injure a leg running to second on an RBI double in the ninth.  Reports indicate he aggravated a hamstring.  We have no information on how serious it might be.

Jason Wheeler did all right other than in the second inning, but still was charged with four runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts in five innings.  D. J. Baxendale gave up two runs in 1.1 innings and Buddy Boshers gave up three over the same span.  Reginatto was 3-for-4 with a double as well as the home run to lead the offense.  He drove in two.  Kennys Vargas was 2-for-5.  Ben Paulsen was apparently given the day off.

CHATTANOOGA 7, MOBILE 6 IN CHATTANOOGA

The Lookouts were down 5-0 after four, but a four-run sixth got them back in the game and two in the eighth put them ahead.  In the sixth, with two out and a man on second, Chattanooga got four consecutive hits, two of them doubles, to trail by just 6-5.  With men on second and third and one out in the eighth, Nick Gordon delivered a two-run single to give the Lookouts the lead.  Luke Bard gave up two hits in the ninth but kept the BayBears off the board with the help of a caught stealing.

Paul Clemens, signed as a minor league free agent, pitched four innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk with one strikeout.  Jonathan Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with a double to lead the offense.  LaMonte Wade was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Engelb Vielma was 2-for-4 with a double and Edgar Corcino was 2-for-5 with a double.

TAMPA 4, FORT MYERS 3 IN TAMPA (13 INNINGS)

The Miracle led 3-0 after seven, but a three-run eighth tied it up.  Fort Myers helped the Yankee rally with an error and a passed ball.  In the thirteenth, walks put men on first and second with two out and Mandy Alvarez singled home the winning run.  The Miracle did not get a man past first base after Nelson Molina's home run in the sixth.

The loss wasted an excellent pitching performance by Randy LeBlanc, who struck out eight in seven shutout innings, giving up just five hits and no walks.  The three-run eighth came off Jonny Drozd, although it should be noted that all three runs were unearned.  Alex Perez was 2-for-4 with two walks.  Daniel Kihle and Rafael P. Valera were each 2-for-6.  Luis Arraez was placed on the seven-day disabled list.

KANE COUNTY 2, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

The Cougars got an RBI single from Ramon Hernandez in the first and a home run from Jasrado Chisholm in the third, and that was it.  The Kernels got eight hits and loaded the bases in the fourth, but went 1-for-9 with men in scoring position.  All eight hits were singles.

Clark Beeker pitched well in defeat, going seven innings and giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Jermaine Palacios and Brandon Lopez were each 2-for-4.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:00  Cedar Rapids (Tyler Beardsley) at Kane County
12:05  Rochester (Aaron Slegers) at Buffalo (Brett Oberholtzer)
6:00  Fort Myers (Lachlan Wells, 0-0, 0.00) at Tampa

Games of April 9

Ben Paulsen stays hot for the Red Wings.  Nick Gordon gets it going for the Lookouts.  Alex Schick leads the Kernels to a win.  The Miracle take the only organization loss.

ROCHESTER 6, SYRACUSE 2 IN SYRACUSE (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

A four-run sixth turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead and an eventual 6-2 Red Wings win.  Once again it was Mitch Garver and Ben Paulsen doing the damage.  Garver's RBI single tied it 2-2 and later in the inning, Paulsen hit a three-run homer (his second) to give Rochester a 5-2 lead.  They added a run in the seventh on a run-scoring double by Kennys Vargas.  The Chiefs scored single runs in the first and second but did not get a man past first base after that.

Nick Tepesch pitched five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Trevor Hildenberger struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.  Vargas and Tommy Field were each 2-for-4 with a double, with Vargas getting two RBIs.  Garver was 1-for-2 with two walks.

ROCHESTER 10, SYRACUSE 4 IN SYRACUSE (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Ben Paulsen struck again, but this time he had help from Daniel Palka as the Red Wings cruised to a sweep.  It was actually Niko Goodrum who put Rochester ahead to stay with a fourth inning home run to make it 2-1.  In the fifth, Palka hit a two-run homer followed by Paulsen's solo shot to give the Red Wings a 5-1 lead.  A five-run sixth put the game away, with Palka again hitting a two-run homer.

Drew Rucinski started and pitched four innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks while striking  out five.  Alan Busenitz struck out three in two perfect innings of relief.  Palka was 2-for-4 and Paulsen was 2-for-3.  Tommy Field and Byungho Park were each 2-for-4 with a double.  Matt Hague was also 2-for-4.

CHATTANOOGA 5, MOBILE 4 IN CHATTANOOGA (11 INNINGS),/h4>

The Lookouts led 4-2 after four, but the BayBears scored single runs in the eighth and ninth to send it to extra innings.  Edgar Corcino led off the eleventh with a single and was wild pitched to second with two out.  Walks to Jonathan Rodriguez and LaMonte Wade loaded the bases and a walkoff walk to Dan Rohlfing brought home the winning run.

Felix Jorge started but pitched only four innings, giving up two runs on six hits and no walks with three strikeouts.  He threw 71 pitches, so one assumes he was on a pitch count.  Todd Van Steensel led the bullpen with two shutout innings of relief, as the Lookouts used five relief pitchers.  Nick Gordon led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.  Corcino was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

JUPITER 3, FORT MYERS 2 IN FORT MYERS

Jupiter took the lead to stay in the fifth, scoring on a bases-loaded walk and a ground out to go up 2-0.  It was 3-1 going to the bottom of the ninth.  Sean Miller singled home a run to cut the lead to 3-2 with two out, but Nelson Molina grounded out to end the game.

Keaton Steele pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Randy Rosario struck out three in two shutout innings of relief, giving up two hits.  Daniel Kihle was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Miller was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.

CEDAR RAPIDS 6, BELOIT 1 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Doubles by MItchell Kranson and Ben Rortvedt put the Kernels up 2-1 in the second and they led the rest of the way.  A two-run single by Kranson in the seventh sealed the deal.

Alex Schick took care of most of the pitching, striking out seven in seven innings while giving up just one run on six hits and two walks.  Max Cordy struck out the side in the eighth and Alex Robinson pitched a scoreless ninth.  Travis Blankenhorn was 3-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Brandon Lopez was also 3-for-4 and Jermaine Palacios was 3-for-5 a triple.  Kranson was 2-for-4.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:05  Rochester (Jason Wheeler) at Buffalo (T. J. House)
6:00  Fort Myers at Tampa (Zack Littell)
6:15  Mobile (Alex Blackford) at Chattanooga (Paul Clemens)
6:30  Cedar Rapids (Clark Bleeker) at Kane County (Ryan Atkinson)

Games of April 8

Jose Berrios has nothing to learn in Rochester.  The Lookouts are still struggling to score runs.  A couple of minor league free agents lead the Miracle.  The Kernels lose one late.

ROCHESTER 10, SYRACUSE 0 IN SYRACUSE

After two days of rainouts, the Red Wings were more than ready to play.  Mitch Garver doubled home Daniel Palka for the first run in the second inning.  Garver struck again in the third with a two-run double in a three-run inning.  It stayed 4-0 until the seventh, when Rochester took a page from the Twins' book and scored six runs, capped by Ben Paulsen's grand slam.  The only times the Chiefs got a man into scoring position were when they got two-out doubles in the third and fourth.

Jose Berrios struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk.  D. J. Baxendale followed with three shutout innings, giving up just one hit.  Matt Hague was 3-for-6 with two doubles.  Garver was 2-for-2 with two doubles and two walks, driving in four.  Byungho Park was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Palka was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored three times.  Paulsen was 1-for-3 with a walk to go with his grand slam.  Kennys Vargas was 0-for-3 but drew two walks and scored twice.

MOBILE 3, CHATTANOOGA 2 IN CHATTANOOGA

The Lookouts continue to have trouble scoring runs in the young season.  Wade Wass homered in the second and Bo Way hit a two-run single in the fourth to give the BayBears a 3-0 lead.  Chattanooga threatened in the second and third, but then did not get another hit until the seventh, when they loaded the bases with none out.  Unfortunately, they did not score, as a strikeout and a double play ended the inning.  The Lookouts finally broke through in the eighth, scoring one on another bases loaded double play and another on a Dan Gamache single.  They got a man to third with one out in the ninth and again loaded the bases, but again could not score, as Travis Harrison struck out to end the game.

Fernando Romero made his AA debut and got a rather quick hook, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four in 3.1 innings.  He threw 74 pitches--I don't know if he was on a pitch count.  Nik Turley was the pitching star for Chattanooga, striking out ten in four shutout innings of relief while giving up just one hit and no walks.  Gamache was the only Lookout with more than one hit, going 2-for-4.  Chattanooga stranded ten runners in the game.

FORT MYERS 5, JUPITER 2 IN FORT MYERS

Daniel Kihle hit a two-run homer to give the Miracle an early two-run lead, but the Hammerheads got single runs in the sixth and seventh to tie it up.  No matter.  Max Murphy delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, an infield out scored a second run, and Alex Perez doubled home a third run to put Fort Myers up 5-2.  Jupiter did not get a man past first after that.

David Fischer, a free agent who has spent the last two years in independent ball, started and struck out five in four shutout innings, giving up five hits and no walks.  Jonny Drozd, another minor league free agent who had been with the Yankees, struck out two in a scoreless inning to get the save.  Kihle was 2-for-2 getting a double to go with his home run and also getting hit by a pitch.  Luis Arraez appeared to trip over first base running out a ground ball and had to be taken off the field on a cart, apparently with a leg injury.

BELOIT 7, CEDAR RAPIDS 6 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

The Kernels let this one get away, losing a 6-1 lead after four innings.  The Snappers got two in the fifth and one in the eighth, but it was still 6-4 going to the ninth.  With one out, a single, a walk, a single, and a sacrifice fly tied the game and Nate Mondou's RBI triple brought home the winning run.  The Kernels went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.

Sean Poppen struck out seven in seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks.  Tom Hackimer gave up the three runs in the ninth.  Travis Blankenhorn was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and a double.  Shane Carrier also hit a home run.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:05  Rochester (Nick Tepesch) at Syracuse (Jacob Turner)
Game 2  Rochester at Syracuse (Taylor Hill)
1:15  Mobile (Jordan Kipper) at Chattanooga (Felix Jorge)
2:05  Beloit (Brandon Bailey) at Cedar Rapids (Alex Schick)
3:05  Jupiter (Felipe Gonzalez) at Fort Myers (Keaton Steele)

Games of April 7

Nick Gordon leads the Lookouts to a walkoff win.  A big inning does in the Miracle.  The Kernels get a split.  The Red Wings just want to play.

ROCHESTER AT SYRACUSE

Postponed due to inclement weather.

CHATTANOOGA 4, MOBILE 3 IN CHATTANOOGA (10 INNINGS)

A three-run sixth put Mobile ahead 3-1, but a Travis Harrison RBI double cut it to 3-2 in the sixth, Nick Gordon's sacrifice fly tied it in the seventh, and Gordon singled home Tanner English, who had led off the tenth with a double, to win the game for the Lookouts.

Matt Tracy had pitched five shutout innings before tiring in the sixth.  His line is 5.2 innings, three runs (one earned), seven hits, and one walk with four strikeouts.  The bullpen did its job, as Nick Burdi retired all four batters he faced, Raul Fernandez pitched two shutout innings while giving up just one hit, and John Curtiss overcame two walks to pitch a scoreless inning.  Gordon was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.  English was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Dan Rohlfing hit a home run.

JUPITER 11, FORT MYERS 8 IN JUPITER

It was 4-1 after six, but the Hammerheads took control with a seven-run seventh.  Most of the damage came off Sam Clay, who surrendered six runs on three hits and three walks in just two-thirds of an inning.  To their credit, the Miracle fought back, scoring four in the eighth and three in the ninth to make the final score look respectable.

Luis Arraez led the offense, going 3-for-5.  Alex Perez was 2-for-4 and Chris Paul was 2-for-5.  Brian Navaretto hit a home run.  Cody Stashak struck out seven in six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and no walks.

CEDAR RAPIDS 4, BELOIT 0 IN BELOIT (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

The Kernels opened the second with doubles by Lewin Diaz, Jaylin Davis, and Mitchell Kranson, leading to a three-run inning.  Aaron Whitefield tripled and scored in the third, and that was more than enough, as Beloit managed only three hits, all singles, and only once got a man as far as second base.

Eduardo Del Rosario struck out seven in six innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Colton Davis pitched a scoreless seventh, giving up one hit.  Kranson was the only Kernel with two hits, going 2-for-3.  Five of the Kernels seven hits were for extra bases, four doubles and a triple.

BELOIT 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN BELOIT (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Lewin Diaz hit a two-run double in the fifth to tie the score 2-2.  In the bottom of the seventh, however, Kyle Nowlin had a one-out single and scored from first on a double by Miguel Mercedes to win it for the Snappers.

Tyler Wells struck out six in four innings but gave up two runs on one hit and four walks.  Each of the two runs he gave up scored on wild pitches.  Diaz was the only Kernel with more than one hit, going 2-for-3.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:05  Rochester (Jose Berrios) at Syracuse (Joe Ross)
5:05  Beloit (Michael Murray) at Cedar Rapids (Sean Poppen)
5:05  Jupiter (Jorgan Cavanerio) at Fort Myers
6:15  Mobile (Luis Diaz) at Chattanooga (Fernando Romero)

Games of April 6

Twins affiliates did not exactly get off to a rousing start.  Two teams were rained out and two were shut out.

ROCHESTER AT SYRACUSE

Postponed due to inclement weather.

MOBILE 2, CHATTANOOGA 0 IN CHATTANOOGA

Mobile got an unearned run in the fifth and a Luis Tejada homer in the ninth.  Chattanooga had only three hits.  Two of them came in the first inning, and both runners were lost on the bases, one picked off and the other caught stealing.  The Lookouts only once got a man as far as second base.

Kohl Stewart pitched six shutout innings, giving up the unearned run on three hits and three walks with one strikeout.  Mason Melotakis struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Edgar Corcino had two of the three Lookout hits, going 2-for-4.  Travis Harrison had the other, going 1-for-3.  Nick Gordon was 0-for-4.  LaMonte Wade, Engelb Vielma, and Tanner English were all 0-for-3.

JUPITER 4, FORT MYERS 0 IN JUPITER

Dereck Rodriguez pitched well for four innings, allowing just one run on four hits, but fell apart in the fifth, allowing three Hammerhead runs to put the Miracle down 4-0.  Fort Myers had eight hits, but only once had two in the same inning.  They got a man to third five times, but could never grab the other ninety feet, going 0-for-9 with men in scoring position.

Rodriguez struck out four in 4.1 innings, but allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk.  Randy Wells retired all five men he faced and Lachlan Wells struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Chris Paul and Alex Perez were each 2-for-4, with Perez getting a double.  Luis Arraez was 1-for-4 with a triple.  Trey Vavra was 1-for-3, Max Murphy was 0-for-3 with a walk, and Zander Weil was 0-for-4.

CEDAR RAPIDS AT BELOIT

Postponed due to wet grounds.

TODAY'S TILTS

Rochester at Syracuse--Already postponed
4:30  Cedar Rapids (Eduardo Del Rosario) at Beloit (Brendan Butler)
Game 2  Cedar Rapids (Tyler Wells) at Beloit
5:30  Fort Myers at Jupiter (Scott Squier)
6:15  Mobile (Osmer Morales) at Chattanooga