The Undercards: Victor Mateo Dominates in Montgomery Victory

Last night had it all, from an offensive explosion to a pitcher’s duel to a thrilling comeback victory and an agonizing walkoff loss. Victor Mateo dominated the Birmingham Barons last night, as he looks to put a rough start to his season behind him. Hopefully, his outing last night will be the start of a nice run, as he looks to establish himself as a potential prospect.

Rochester Red Wings (Twins) 6, Durham Bulls 5

For a hitter, few things are likely better than being able to get the game winning hit, especially if it comes against a former team. The Red Wings jumped out against the Bulls in the first, as Chris Colabello continued his torrid series against the Bulls with a two run home run. Jeff Clement followed with a solo shot, giving the Red Wings a quick 3-0 lead. Rochester got another run in the fourth when the Durham starter Chris Archer walked the bases loaded with no one out, and a run came in on a double play grounder. The Bulls finally got on the board in the sixth, as Brandon Guyer hit a two run home run to cut the lead in half. The Bulls tied the game in the next inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Vince Belnome and Rich Thompson had back to back RBI singles. In the top of the eighth, Leslie Anderson led off with a walk, and moved to second on a passed ball with one out. Pinch runner Jason Bourgeois came in for Anderson, and scored on a Tim Beckham single to put the Bulls on top 5-4. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold on to the lead. With no one out, the Red Wings loaded the bases against Jeff Beliveau, bringing up former Bull Ray Olmedo. Olmedo singled to right, plating two as the Red Wings earned a 6-5 walkoff victory. Beliveau took the loss, lasting 1+ innings, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out three. Archer had a rough start, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. Guyer was 2-5 with a home run and two RBIs.

Montgomery Biscuits 1, Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 0

The Biscuits benefited from another strong performance from their rotation, as Victor Mateo had his best start of the season last night. He dominated the Barons, pitching seven shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk. Not a single Baron made it past second the entire night, and Birmingham never really threatened to score. Fortunately, the Biscuits managed to get one run on the board despite a solid outing by starter Stephen McCray. Cameron Seitzer led off the second with a single, and scored on a one out double from Kyeong Kang to provide the winning margin. The Biscuits twice had runners on first and second with one out, but were unable to extend the lead. However, that did not matter with the way Mateo was pitching, as they went on to the 1-0 victory. Seitzer ended the night 2-4 with the only run scored.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 12, Daytona Cubs 7

The Stone Crabs scored twice before an out was recorded last night, using three consecutive singles and an RBI double from Richie Shaffer to take a 2-0 lead right off the bat. The Cubs got a run back in the second, as Charlotte held a 2-1 lead going into the fourth inning. Then, both teams blew up offensively. The Stone Crabs scored four runs in the top of the inning, as Alejandro Segovia led off the frame with a home run, and Taylor Motter hit a two run double before coming around to score on a wild pitch. The Cubs answered with three in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a home run from Dustin Geiger and an RBI double by Chadd Krist. Charlotte put another four runs on the board in the top of the fifth, highlighted by a three run home run from Hector Guevara. Not to be outdone, Daytona once again responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Cubs loaded the bases with two out, and Krist hit his second double in as many innings to clear the bases. With the score 10-7 after five innings, things settled down, with the Stone Crabs tacking on insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings for the 12-7 victory. Roberto Gomez picked up the win, lasting five innings despite giving up all seven runs on eight hits and three walks. Every Stone Crab got a hit, with Guevara leading the way, going 2-4 with two runs scored, a home run, and three RBIs.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, Fort Wayne TipCaps (Padres) 6

Through seven innings, it appeared as though the TinCaps were on their way to an easy victory. They jumped out in the first, with Gabriel Quintana hitting a two out RBI single, and scoring on a Jeremy Baltz single to give Fort Wayne a 2-0 lead. After the TinCaps added a run in the second, the appeared to break the game open in the third. With runners on first and second, Luis Tejeda doubled to drive in a run. After the second out of the inning was recorded, Rodney Daal tripled, plating two and giving the TinCaps a 6-0 lead. However, the Hot Rods managed to fight back. Held without a run until the seventh, their offense woke up against reliever Matthew Chabot. With runners on first and third and one out, Marty Gantt hit a two run double, and scored on a base hit by Leonardo Reginatto. Reginatto would eventually score from second on a throwing error by Daal, who was attempting to throw out Granden Goetzman at first following a strikeout that would have ended the inning. With the score 6-4, the hot Rods continued their comeback, putting the first two batters on in the top of the eighth. Thomas Coyle tied the game with a triple, and scored the game winning run on a sacrifice bunt by Patrick Leonard. Jordan Harrison picked up the win in relief, pitching three shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out five. Gantt was 2-3 with a double, two RBIs, a run scored, and a walk.