Norfolk won in extra innings and Aberdeen won a slugfest
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Gwinnett Stripers (ATL) 4 – F/10
Starting pitcher Chayce McDermott (CC prospect #10) exited in the first inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced and then surrendered a double and walked the next three batters. It was not indicated that he exited due to injury, so hopefully it was just that he was quite bad. He threw 36 pitches, only 17 of which were strikes.
Rehabbing pitcher Cionel Pérez pitched 1.1 innings with one hit and one walk allowed. He threw 21 pitches and struck out one. Luis González gave up the Stripers’ other three runs in his one inning of work.
Norfolk’s new leadoff batter, Jackson Holliday (#1) went 0-for-4, as did Kyle Stowers. Coby Mayo (#3) had a great game, per usual. He walked and went 2-for-4, including the game’s walk-off hit in the 10th. Connor Norby (#7) singled and struck out thrice. Daniel Johnson homered as part of a three-hit day and knocked in three runs.
Double-A: Richmond Flying Squirrels (SFG) 4, Bowie Baysox 0
This was a pretty boring game as all four runs were scored in a single half-inning. Brandon Young started for the Baysox and was outstanding. He pitched three perfect innings with seven strikeouts. Unfortunately his relief, Kyle Brnovich, wasn’t as good. Brnovich gave up two home runs in the fourth inning, one three-run shot and one solo. Overall he pitched 3.1 innings with three hits and a walk. He struck out five.
The Baysox offense was perfecto’d through seven innings until the Squirrels’ starting pitcher, John Michael Bertrand, was removed from the game. Connor Pavolony and TT Bowens each singled in the eighth inning, and Frederick Bencosme (#25) walked.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 12, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (PHI) 7
The IronBirds turned 10 hits, nine walks, and three BlueClaws’ errors into 12 runs to prevail in this slugfest. And with Enrique Bradfield (#6) on the IL and Mac Horvath (#12) given the day off, they did so without their ranked prospects. As part of their big night they put up both a four-run inning and a five-run inning.
Tavian Josenberger, last year’s third-round pick, set the table as the leadoff batter. He singled, walked three times, and scored three runs. Matthew Etzel also reached base four times with a single, double, and two walks. Young Creed Willems also had a two-hit night and is OPS’ing 1.011.
None of the pitching was worth writing home about. Starting pitcher Zach Fruit gave up two runs in four innings. He only gave up two hits but he did walk three.
Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 5
It was a rough go for starting pitcher Michael Forret, who walked four batters in just 1.2 innings. In fact, all four of those walks came in the second inning, the same in which he gave up three runs.
Three of the five runs scored by the Shorebirds came via home run. Anderson De Los Santos hit a two-run homer and Douglas Hodo hit a solo dinger in the eighth. It was part of a two-hit day for Hodo. Braylin Tavera (#15) went hitless from the leadoff spot while Thomas Sosa (#27) came into the game in the fifth inning and went 1-for-2.
Today’s Schedule
- Norfolk vs Gwinnett, 1:05 pm. Starter: TBD
- Bowie @ Richmond, 1:35 pm. Starter: Seth Johnson (#11)
- Aberdeen vs Jersey Shore, 2:05 pm. Starter: TBD
- Delmarva vs Fredericksburg, 2:05 pm. Starter: Nestor German