The Undercards: Roberto Gomez Continues Scoreless Streak In 1-0 Victory

On the heels of a one hit shutout his last time out, Roberto Gomez had another impressive outing for the Charlotte Stone Crabs last night. Perhaps he is getting acclimated to the level of competition, but he has now gone 16 consecutive innings without allowing a run. The Stone Crabs needed his performance last night as they escaped with a 1-0 victory.

Durham Bulls 8, Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 2

This matchup actually started as a pitcher’s duel between Bulls starter Matt Buschmann and Charlotte starter Tony Pena, even if the final score does not reflect that. Scoreless through the first three innings, the Bulls finally broke through in the fourth, as they loaded the bases with one out. Chris Gimenez hit a sacrifice fly, and the Bulls took the lead. They expanded that advantage in the fifth, loading the bases once again, this time with no outs. Pena was lifted at that point in favor of Jake Petricka, who promptly threw a wild pitch to bring in a run. A one out sacrifice fly drove in Ryan Roberts, and an infield single by Mike Fontenot brought in another run, giving the Bulls a 4-0 lead. The Knights came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, but Durham broke the game open in the sixth. With one out, the Bulls loaded the bases again, and Shelley Duncan hit a two run, two out double to put Durham ahead 6-1. Cole Figueroa drove in a run with a double in the seventh, before scoring on a base hit by Vince Belnome to give the Bulls a 8-1 advantage. Charlotte got a run back in the bottom of the frame, but the Knights were held in check from that point, as Durham took the 8-2 victory. Buschmann picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits and three walks in five innings of work. Figueroa, Belnome and Fontenot each had three hits in the victory.

Montgomery Biscuits 4, Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks) 1 (Game One – Seven Innings)

The Biscuits jumped out to an early lead in the first, as Todd Glaesmann hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Mikie Mahtook. In the third, they took command of the game as they loaded the bases with one out, bringing up Kyeong Kang . Kang tripled, clearing the bases and giving the Biscuits a 4-0 lead. That would be all that starter Victor Mateo would need, as he went through the BayBears lineup with relative ease in one of his best outings of the season. Mobile got a run in the bottom of the seventh off Juan Sandoval, but were unable to close the gap any further, as the Bicuits won the first game of the double header 4-1. Mateo pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits and three walks. Kang was 2-3 with a triple and three RBIs.

Mobile BayBears 5, Montgomery Biscuits 4 (Game Two – Ten Innings)

After the BayBears scored a run in the bottom of the second, the Biscuits came to life. Cameron Seitzer tied the game with a run scoring fielder’s choice, and Riccio Torrez followed with a two run double to give Montgomery a 3-1 lead. Mobile got within a run in the bottom of the inning on an infield single by Justin Greene, and the 3-2 score held up into the bottom of the sixth. There, the BayBears put runners on first and third with one out. Mike Freeman got down a sacrifice bunt to tie the game, and Ryan Stovall had an RBI single to give Mobile a 4-3 lead. That lead was short lived, as Kevin Kiermaier greeted reliever Jake Barrett with a home run to tie the game. The BayBears had a chance to win in the bottom of the seventh, putting a runner on third with two outs, but Justin Greene grounded out to end the threat. Each team traded scoring chances in the eighth before the BayBears loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the tenth. Ryan Stovall coaxed a walk, forcing home a run to send the Biscuits to a 5-4 defeat. Marcus Fleming took the loss, allowing one run on one hit and three walks in 1.1 innings of relief. Kiermaier was 3-5 with the solo home run and two runs scored.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 1, Bradenton Marauders (Pirates) 0

The story of this game was the performance of Charlotte starter Roberto Gomez. Locked in a pitcher’s duel with Joely Rodriguez, he produced his second consecutive strong outing, holding the Marauders to two hits and two walks while striking out five over 6.2 shutout innings. The Stone Crabs scored the only run of the game in the top of the third when Lucas Bailey led off the inning with a home run. The Marauders had a chance to tie the game or even take the lead in the eighth, putting runners on second and third with one out. However, Benji Gonzalez was caught stealing home to end the inning, as the Stone Crabs held on for the 1-0 victory. Richie Shaffer and Jake Hager had two hits each in the win.

Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays) 6, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2

Kevin Patterson opened the scoring for the Lugnuts, leading off the top of the second with a home run to give Lansing a quick 1-0 lead. Another home run in the top of the third, this time a two run shot by Emilio Guerrero, extended the margin to 3-0. The Hot Rods had a chance to get on the board, butting runners on first and second in the bottom of the frame, but were unable to push a run across. The Lugnuts broke the game open in the sixth, as Carlos Ramirez hit a three run home run to give Lansing a 6-0 lead. The Hot Rods attempted to come back, finally getting on  the board in the bottom of the eighth as Justin O’Conner led off the inning with a home run. Andrew Toles drove in another run with a two out base hit in the bottom of the ninth,  but it was not enough as the Lugnuts took a 6-2 victory over the Hot Rods. Sean Bierman took the loss, giving up six runs on eleven hits in six innings or work. O’Conner was 3-5 with a solo home run.

Vermont Lake Monsters (A’s) 4, Hudson Valley Renegades 1

Chris Kirsch had a solid outing for the Renegades, but it would be for naught. Scoreless through the third, the Renegades scored first in the top of the fourth when Johnny Field doubled with one out, and scored on a base hit by Oscar Hernandez. Hernandez stole second and moved to third on a base hit, but the Renegades stranded both runners. The Lake Monsters finally got to Kirsch in the bottom of the fifth, scoring a run on a two out single by Christopher Wolfe. Vermont took the lead in the seventh when Christopher Wolfe walked with two outs, and scored on a base hit to shallow center by Wilfredo Solano. They extended the lead in the eighth, as Michael Soto homered with two outs to provide two more insurance runs. That would prove to be the final margin of victory, as the Renegades fell to the Lake Monsters 4-1. Justin Choate took the loss in relief, giving up three runs on three hits in two innings. Kirsch allowed one run on six hits in six innings as he got the no decision. Pat Blair was the only member of the Renegades to get on base more than once, going 1-3 with a walk.

Pulaski Mariners 4, Princeton Rays 2

The Mariners climbed out to a quick lead as Ian Miller led off the game with a double, and scored on a base hit by Jeffrey Zimmerman. Tyler Smith followed with a triple, and the Mariners had an early 2-0 lead. Zimmerman helped expand that margin in the third, as he homered with one out. After being stymied over the first five innings by Pulaski starter Luiz Gohara, the Rays got a run back in the sixth against reliever Leoncio Munoz. Spencer Edwards and Bralin Jackson had back to back doubles, and a wild pitch moved Jackson to third with no outs. However, Munoz got out of the jam without any further damage, as the Rays let a golden opportunity slip away. The Rays virtually gave the Mariners another run in the top of the ninth, as Luke Guarnaccia singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a balk, and took third on an errant pickoff attempt before scoring on a one out single. Princeton got a run back in the bottom of the inning, as David Garcia drove in a run on a two out single, but it was not enough as the Mariners defeated the Rays by a score of 4-2. D.J. Slaton took the loss, giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings. Jackson was 2-4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base.

GCL Twins 11, GCL Rays 4

The Rays held an early lead in this matchup, as Cristian Toribio drove in a run on a base hit in the top of the third, and Hector Montes had an RBI single in the fourth to give the Rays a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the inning. The Twins had their chances, but were unable to push a run across. However, that changed in the bottom of the fourth. Amaurys Minier led off the inning with a home run, Jonatan Hinojosa had a two out RBI triple and came around to score on a base hit by Zack Larson to give the Twins a 3-2 lead. The Rays took the lead in the top of the sixth, putting runners on second and third with one out. Jose Paez  to tie the game, and with runners on second and third and two out, Alexander Simon scored on a wild pitch to put the Rays in front 4-3. That lead did not last long, as the Twins offense came to life in the bottom of the inning. Hinojosa tied the game with a base hit, and with runners on second and third and one out, Larson doubled to put the Twins in front, before coming around to score on a double by Adonis Pacheco. They scored four more times in the seventh. Minier again led off an inning with a home run. With runners on first and second and one out, Hinojosa tripled again to drive in both runners, and scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Twins an 11-4 lead. That score held up, as Yomelbin Almonte took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits in two innings of relief. Paez and Toribio each had three hits for the Rays.