The UnderCards: Mikie Mahtook Plays Key Role in Biscuits’ Victory

It was a rough night for the farm teams, as they went 1-4 overall, including being swept in a doubleheader. Fortunately, the great thing about baseball is that there is usually another game tomorrow, allowing a chance to turn around and get back on the winning side of the ledger.

Pawtucket Red Sox 4, Durham Bulls 1

The PawSox jumped out quickly against the Bulls, loading the bases with no one out in the bottom of the first inning on a single, an error and a walk. Ryan Lavarnway hit a sacrifice fly to put Pawtucket on the board, but Alex Colome managed to escape without further damage. Pawtucket got another run in the second, as Jackie Bradley Jr drove in a run with a groundout. Durham got a run back in the top of the third, as Brandon Guyer was hit by a pitch, and stole second. He moved to third on a base hit, and scored on an RBI single from Jason Bourgeois. A wild pitch put runners on second and third with two out, but Allen Webster struck out Wil Myers to preserve the PawSox lead. That lead was extended in the third. After Justin Henry led off the inning with a walk, he moved to second on a passed ball, and took third courtesy of a wild pitch. Lavarnway then hit a two run home run, putting Pawtucket ahead 4-1. Meanwhile, Webster was cruising through the Bulls, as he allowed only the one run on two hits in six innings, striking out nine batters. The Bulls managed to put runners on second and third with two out in the top of the seventh, but were unable to push across a run. They never mounted a threat after, as they fell to the PawSox 4-1. Colome took the loss, giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks. Leslie Anderson was 2-4 with a stolen base in the loss.

Montgomery Biscuits 3, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Reds) 2

Pensacola came out hitting, putting runners on first and second to start the game. Ryan LaMarre doubled in the first run of the game for the Wahoos, and was followed by an RBI single from Steve Selsky. Selsky tried to stretch the base hit into a double, but was thrown out at second, leaving a runner at third with one out. However, Merrill Kelly managed to escape further damage, holding Pensacola to the two runs. The Biscuits tied the game in the top of the third, as Sean O’Malley led off the inning by reaching on an error, and Kevin Kiermaier bunted for a base hit. After a force out, Mikie Mahtook tripled to drive in both runners and tied the game at 2-2. The game remained tied into the top of the eighth, when the Biscuits loaded the bases with no outs. After two strikeouts, Mark Thomas worked a walk, forcing home Mahtook with the go ahead run. Juan Sandoval worked the ninth to pick up his sixth save of the season. Kelly had a solid start in his no decision, giving up two runs in 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out five. Matt Nevarez earned the win in relief, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Mahtook was 1-3 with a triple, two RBIs and two walks in the win.

Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins) 7, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4

Scoreless until the bottom of the third, the Stone Crabs put the first run on the board after Taylor Motter was hit by a pitch with one out. Jake Hager followed with a single, moving Motter to third, and he scored on a base hit by Drew Vettleson. Hager was thrown out trying to get to third on the hit, and the Stone Crabs were only able to get the one run. Jupiter took the lead in the top of the fourth, as they loaded the bases with no one out. Austin Nola followed with a two run single to put Jupiter ahead 2-1. Following an out, the Hammerheads loaded the bases again, but were unable to push another run across. The Stone Crabs tied the game in the bottom of the frame, as Curt Casili hit his first home run of the year. Jupiter loaded the bases with no outs again in the fifth, and took a 4-2 lead on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch. The Stone Crabs loaded the bases themselves in the bottom of the inning, and tied the game on a two run, two out double by Richie Shaffer. The Hammerheads took the lead in the top of the seventh. Austin Barnes was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a walk, and advanced to third on a fly out. Nola dropped down a sacrifice bunt, scoring Barnes with the go ahead run. The Hammerheads tacked on additional runs in the eighth and ninth, as they defeated the Stone Crabs 7-4. Lenny Linsky took the loss, allowing one run on a walk in two hitless innings, striking out three batters. Hager was 3-5 with a run scored.

Kane County Cougars (Cubs) 3, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1 (Game One  – Seven Innnings)

In the makeup game of last night’s postponed game, the Cougars defeated the Hot Rods 3-1. Bowling Green scored first, as Thomas Coyle led off the game with a walk, and stole second before scoring on an error. With one out, the Hot Rods had runners on first and third, but a caught stealing and a groundout ended the threat. The Cougars tied the game in the second, as Jeimer Candelario walked, and scored on a double off the bat of Rock Shoulders (a great baseball name, incidentally). The game remained tied into the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Marco Hernandez and Oliver Zapata hit back to back singles to put runners on first and third. Zapata was caught stealing second, but Hernandez scored on an error by Ryan Dunn. Kane County tacked on another run in the sixth on Bijan Rademacher‘s RBI double. The Hot Rods attempted a comeback in the top of the seventh, as Patrick Leonard doubled to lead off the inning, but he was stranded on second as the Cougars won the first game of the doubleheader. Reinaldo Lopez took the loss, giving up two runs, one earned, in five innings. He allowed four hits and three walks, while striking out three batters. Coyle was 1-2 with a run scored, a stolen base and a walk. Andrew Toles stole two bases for the Hot Rods.

Kane County Cougars 4, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2 (Game Two – Eleven Innings)

In the nightcap, the Cougars scored first. With runners on first and third with two outs, Dylan Floro attempted to pick off the runner at first, but threw the ball away. Oliver Zapata scored, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead. They extended that lead in the fifth, as back to back walks to open the frame put runners on first and second. An error on a sacrifice bunt attempt loaded the bases, and a one out walk to Dan Vogelback forced in a run. Floro escaped further trouble by getting Rock Shoulders to ground into an inning ending double play. In the top of the sixth, back to back singles put runners on first and second to open the frame. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third. Andrew Toles singled, driving in the first run of the game for the Hot Rods, and was followed by an RBI single by Luke Maile. A two out walk loaded the bases, but the Hot Rods were unable to push another run across. The game remained tied into the bottom of the eleventh, when Shoulders hit a two out, two run walkoff home run to give the Cougars a sweep of the doubleheader. Jordan Harrison took the loss, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in two innings of work. Floro piched five innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out three. Maile was 2-5 with an RBI, but he also made a costly error that helped lead to the second run for the Cougars.