On the year, the Princeton Rays, managed by Mike Johns, went 36-32, third place in the Appalachian League’s East Division. The P-Rays as a team posted a .254/.321/.379 line compared to the league average of .254/.329/.382, hitting a lot of doubles and triples, finishing in second and third in the Appy League in those categories, but finishing just 8th in the 10-team league in home runs. On the pitching side, they were right around average, posting a 4.14 ERA compared to the 4.15 league average, posting an 8.3 K/9, a 3.1 BB/9, and a 0.9 HR/9 compared to the league average of an 8.4 K/9, a 3.4 BB/9, and a 0.7 HR/9, leading the lead in home runs allowed. And defensively, the P-Rays were decent overall, posting a .964 fielding percentage compared to the .963 league average, 5th-best in the league, and finishing 4th in range factor, but they got special performances by their catchers, leading the league with a 39% caught stealing percentage and finishing with 10 passed balls allowed, 3rd-fewest in the leagues. All this is nice, but not too many people truly care about team stats at Rookie ball. Let’s start getting into the individual players.

Catchers

The Rays are very excited about Hernandez’s all-around potential. (Credit; Flickr user BeGreen90)

Oscar Hernandez, 19, tore up the Venezuelan Summer League in 2011 with a .402 average and 21 home runs. His first pro experience in the US was not nearly as exciting, but Hernandez still had himself a nice run with the P-Rays. Hernandez, 6’0″ and 196 pounds, posted a .231/.349/.394 line with 9 doubles, 5 homers, 24 RBI, and most impressively a 31-23 strikeout to walk ratio in 49 games and 195 plate appearances. His strikeout to walk ratio was the 8th-best mark in the Appy League, with all but one of the players ahead of him being older. He shows good bat speed, although he got into trouble trying to elevate everything in 2012, but between his patience and his power potential, he has the ability to be a well above-average offensive catcher if everything works out. And defensively, Hernandez made huge strides, posting a .988 fielding percentage in 46 games compared to just .973 in 42 games in 2011, allowing just 6 passed balls versus 12 in 2011, and keeping his caught stealing rate steady at 39% versus 42% in ’11. His defense still requires quite a bit of work, but he really made strides this year. Hernandez’s raw power didn’t really come out too often this year, but his patience and defensive improvements are a very good sign. Hernandez has the highest upside of any of the Rays’ catching prospects, and although the risk with him is extremely high, the Rays have to look forward to what the future holds for Hernandez.

Omar Narvaez, 20, doesn’t generate nearly the excitement that Hernandez does but he does have a higher floor. Narvaez, 5’10″ and 172 pounds, was the P-Rays’ leading hitter for average, posting a .305/.380/.384 line with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 16 RBI, and 19 strikeouts versus 17 walks in 43 games and 173 plate appearances. Defensively, he split his time evenly between catcher and DH, and although he played pretty well defensively, posting a .989 fielding percentage, allowing just 2 passed balls, and managed a 45% caught stealing percentage, the amount of DH and the fact that he has seen at first base and left field earlier in his career, tells you everything that you need to know. Narvaez has a very good arm and is a decent receiver, but he just doesn’t have the durability to catch. He’s out of place at the catcher position- he has a middle infield build and even has slightly above-average overall speed. Narvaez is going to have to bulk up to stay at catcher because his bat doesn’t profile anywhere else at this point. He makes contact and has a good eye, although his power is non-existent. Maybe bulking up could help his power as well. If that doesn’t happen, Narvaez might be an interesting guy for the Rays to play with as a player with the athleticism, speed, and arm strength to possibly play anywhere on the field if nowhere consistently. We’ll have to see what the Rays decide to do with Narvaez moving forward.

Chad Nacapoy, who turned 23 in July, was the Rays’ 38th round pick in this past June’s draft. Nacapoy, a squat 5’7″, 220 posted a .244/.375/.267 line for Princeton with 1 double, 2 RBI, and 11 strikeouts versus 9 walks in 22 games and just 56 plate appearances. Defensively, Nacapoy allowed 2 passed balls in just 6 games defensively and threw out 0 of 3 attempted basestealers. Nacapoy is a backup catcher-type with a little talent, showing solid bat speed although with very little power, and showing good arm strength although his receiving ability is currently in shambles. Nacapoy didn’t get much playing time in his pro debut, but the Rays hope he can develop his game and have a chance at the big leagues in some capacity someday.

First Basemen

John Alexander, 19, is a high-upside 6’5″, 200 first baseman who was the Rays’ 8th round pick in 2012. In his first extended pro stint, Alexander posted a .230/.260/.353 line with 15 doubles, 4 homers, 33 RBI, 5 of 8 stolen bases, and 39 strikeouts against 9 walks in 62 games and 246 plate appearances. He posted a .987 fielding percentage in 61 games at first base. Alexander is a long way from reaching his potential, but you can’t deny that the ability is there. He shows outstanding raw power and even good bat speed as he makes a ton of contact, even against offspeed pitches. The problem is that his patience is non-existent, obviously keeping his on-base percentage down but also causing him to put the ball in play weakly too often, limiting his power. With improved plate discipline, Alexander’s numbers could really be impressive, but considering how little he has right now, it’s going to be a lengthy process converting him from basically a free-swinger to a disciplined power hitter. Defensively, Alexander also needs quite a bit of work, but he has the athleticism to be a plus defender. Alexander has tremendous potential and the Rays hope to see him continuing to progress towards his ceiling in coming seasons.

Second Basemen

Reid Redman, who turns 24 in November, was the Rays’ 23rd round pick in 2012 and is the type of player that they really like. In his pro debut for the P-Rays, Redman posted a .265/.325/.365 line with 15 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers,  26 RBI, 6 of 10 stolen bases, and 46 strikeouts against 21 walks. Redman really stood out defensively at second base, posting a .980 fielding percentage in 52 games, and he also played 6 games at third base. These stats, especially considering how old Redman is for Rookie ball, give you an idea of what type of player he is. He’s never going to be much of a hitter. He shows decent bat speed, but with little patience and little power. He’s fast, but it doesn’t know how to put it to use too well at this point as he needs work learning to read pitchers so he can steal bases, and he also needs work on his bunting. But defensively, Redman really shines. Redman projects as a clearly above-average defensive second baseman thanks to excellent range, quick reflexes, and plus arm strength, and he can also handle third base capably as well at this point. Redman, who is 6’0″, 180, is athletic enough to handle any infield or outfield position (at least shortstop and centerfield in a pinch), and he projects as a defense-first utility player. Redman’s offensive game is extremely raw and the Rays are going to try to maximize everything they can get out of Redman, but his defense is going to something to behold at the big league level someday if everything goes well.

Julian Morillo, who turns 21 in December, was a relatively high-profile signing by the Rays out of the Dominican Republic in 2008. Morillo had himself a very interesting season. A player previously known for his patience and inability to do anything else at the plate, Morillo completely reversed that trend in 2012 for the P-Rays. He posted a .303/.328/.420 line with 3 doubles, 4 triples, 1 homer, 20 RBI, 2 of 4 stolen bases, and 18 strikeouts versus just 2 walks in 38 games and 126 plate appearances. Morillo showed good bat speed and made contact like crazy, but he simply did not walk. His 0.9% walk rate was the lowest in the Appy League even if you want to set the minimum number of plate appearances as low as 25. He got hit by more pitches (3) than he drew walks. It was a far cry from 2009 to 2011, when Morillo posted an outstanding 68-64 strikeout to walk ratio- but hit .243 and just .206 the last two seasons. This season was really bizarre for Morillo, but hopefully next year he can combine his previous patience with his ability to make contact to finally put together a good all-around season. Morillo doesn’t have very much power at all, but he has untapped speed that he needs to learn to use on the basepaths and through bunting. Defensively, Morillo was signed as a shortstop and showed great range and a strong arm, but poor hands led him to be converted to a second baseman. Even there, though, Morillo was erratic and the P-Rays ended up playing him all over the place- second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and right field. He should be able to be a fine defensive second baseman, but he needs a ton of work in that regard. Julian Morillo features solid upside, but after a strange season, what direction he’s heading in as a prospect is extremely unclear.

This is where we’ll stop for today and we’ll discuss the Princeton Rays’ third basemen and shortstops tomorrow. Even after covering just these few players, it’s clear that there is a lot of talent on the P-Rays team- most of it raw- and several of these players will be worth watching to see how they develop.

Triple-A International League: Gwinnett Braves 13, Durham Bulls 10 (11 innings)

After his 7-run meltdown on Saturday, Lueke deserved an off-day on Sunday to get himself together mentally. He didn’t get it and that was the nail in the  coffin for the Bulls this game. Jeff Niemann started in a rehab appearance and he got hit pretty hard. Niemann went 4.1 innings allowing 4 runs on 12 hits. There were certainly some positive signs as Niemann struck out 3 while walking none and posted a 5-1 groundout to flyout ratio. But 8 of the 12 hits were line drives and his bad performance was no fluke. Niemann will get at least one more rehab appearance and we can’t be sure of Niemann’s role once he returns to the big leagues. The Bulls actually led 9-5 after 5 innings, highlighted by the double play combo of second baseman Tim Beckham, who had a solo home run and a sac fly, and shortstop Reid Brignac, who had a 2-run single. A Josh Kroeger 2-run homer in the 7th made it 9-7, but the Bulls got a run back when Brignac walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error on the steal, and scored on a wild pitch. But the 10-7 lead quickly evaporated when the Braves rallied for 4 in the 8th, with Stefan Gartrell drilling a 3-run home run. Dane De La Rosa for Durham and Anthony Varvaro exchanged zeroes in the 9th and 10th for the two teams, but Lueke was forced out there for the 11th and it did not go well. Lueke allowed 4 hits as he allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, on a Josh Wilson 2-run single (yes, that’s Wilson the ex-Ray) and a Luis Durango RBI double, and that was the margin of victory as Gwinnett won 13-10. Brignac, Beckham, and Chris Gimenez each had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Leslie Anderson and Brooks Conrad had multi-hit games as well, but disastrous pitching wasted another great offensive day for the Bulls. Good news is that Lueke is staying calm and looking at things the right way.

When you hit that rough patch of broken bats , bleeders, and seeing eye singles all you can do is lock down and stay focused.. #faith

— Josh Lueke (@Josh_Lueke) August 20, 2012

Double-A Southern League: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (CIN) 9, Montgomery Biscuits 2

Little went right for the Biscuits in this one. Merril Kelly started and went 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 2 while walking 4. Marquis Fleming allowed 1 run in 2.1 innings to put the Biscuits behind 3-2, and from there it all fell apart. Chris Rearick had a rare meltdown, allowing 3 runs in 0.2 innings on homers by Beau Mills and David Vidal, and Scott Shuman allowed 3 more runs, albeit just 1 earned as he failed to throw strikes, walking 3 while striking out just 1. Derek Dietrich and Michael Sheridan did each have 2 hits, including a double, to go along with an RBI each.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 5, St. Lucie Mets 4

After rallying for a 9-8 over St. Lucie on Saturday, the Stone Crabs almost let St. Lucie do the same thing to them but managed to escape with a walk-off victory. The Stone Crabs scored 4 runs in the first 2 innings, with Robby Price lacing an RBI single and a rehabbing Luke Scott drilling an RBI double. Albert Suarez had a nice start for Charlotte, going 5 innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 2 while walking none and posting a 6-4 groundout to flyout ratio. But things came apart for Chris Andujar in the 6th, with singles by Daniel Muno and Richard Lucas driving in 3 runs. A stinging Luke Bailey passed ball tied the game at 4. But in the bottom of the 9th, Kevin Kiermaier came through with a walk-off single as the Stone Crabs won 5-4. Scott had a very positive rehab appearance, going 2 for 3 with a 1 double, 2 walks, an RBI, and a run scored, although being intentionally walked didn’t do his rehab any good, and Robby Price, Todd Glaesmann, Steven Tinoco, Cody Rogers, and Kiermaier had multi-hit games as well.

Low-A Midwest League: South Bend Silver Hawks (ARI) 6, Bowling Green Hot Rods 5

If anyone deserved a win Sunday, it was the Hot Rods, who put together an incredible rally on Saturday to tie the game coming back from a 10-run inning for the opposition only to see the Silver Hawks win 11-10. But alas, no. The Silver Hawks tallied 4 runs in the 1st inning against Ryan Carpenter, with Ryan Court drilling a solo home run, but Carpenter and the Hot Rods kept it together and came back again. Jeff Malm singled home Drew Vettleson to plate a run in the bottom of the 1st, and Josh Sale singled home Matt Rice to make it 4-2 in the bottom of the 2nd. Ryan Carpenter allowed a Matt Helm solo homer in the the 3rd, but a solo homer by Jake Hager in the bottom of the inning and then a 2-run shot by Vettleson in the 4th tied the game at 5. Carpenter battled to go 6 innings allowing 5 runs, 3 earned, on 7 hits, striking out 3 while walking 2. He certainly wasn’t sharp, but he gave the Hot Rods 5 nice innings after the tough 1st to give them a chance to come back. But the Hot Rods couldn’t muster any more runs the rest of the game and a Roldany Aguila solo home run off of Jacob Partridge was enough to give South Bend a 6-5 win. Partridge allowed just the 1 run in 3 innings on 2 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1, but the Hot Rods offense simply fell silent after the 5th. Vettleson went 3 for 5 with a homer, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Matt Rice went 4 for 5 with a double, a triple, and a run scored, Jake Hager went 2 for 5 with a homer, a double, an RBI, and a run scored, and Ryan Brett and Cameron Seitzer both went 2 for 5. Tyler Goeddel also stole his 29th base of the season in the loss.

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 2, Lowell Spinners (BOS) 1

Business as usual for the Renegades as they won again, extending their 3-game lead in the NYPL McNamara division. There was not much offense to be found in this one, but the Renegades managed to push a pair of runs across. The Renegades scored in the 1st when Joey Rickard walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, advanced to 3rd on one groundball, and scored on Richie Shaffer‘s grounder to give Hudson Valley a 1-0 lead. Sean Bierman was outstanding for the Renegades, tossing 6 shutout innings before finally letting up a run in the 7th on a Mookie Betts sac fly. Bierman went 7 innings allowing just the 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 6 while walking 1 and posting an 8-5 groundout to flyout ratio. Bierman improved his ERA to 2.75 in 11 professional starts as he has struck out 36 while walking just 5. And thanks to four walks by Spinners pitching in the 8th, Bierman earned a win for the error. New Renegade Jordan Harrison tossed 2 shutout innings in his first Hudson Valley appearance, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 2, for his first professional save. The Renegades managed just 3 hits, 2 of which by Ryan Dunn, who wasn’t even involved in the scoring. Thomas Coyle and Shaffer had the RBIs in the game.

I can't even comprehend the game Soriano had. (Credit: Flickur user BeGreen90)

Advanced Rookie Appalachian League: Princeton Rays 10, Johnson City Cardinals 2

Just one Rays affiliate changed its fortune on Sunday from its performance on Saturday. And that would be the Princeton Rays. Ariel Soriano had a whole lot to do with that. Soriano had a game he’s going to remember for a while, going 2 for 5 with a double, a homer, 2 stolen bases to give him 16 on the year, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored. He stole two bases without a single in the game! That takes skill. Eli Echarry started for the P-Rays and had a nice outing, going 5 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5 and posting a 4-2 groundout to flyout ratio. Princeton actually scored 10 runs and just 9 hits, going 5 for 12 with runners in scoring position. Other than Soriano’s ridiculous game, John Alexander went 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI, and Oscar Hernandez, Andrew Toles, and William Argo had the other Princeton RBIs.

Triple-A International League: Gwinnett Bulls 10, Durham Bulls 5

An inning of nightmares sent Josh Lueke and the Bulls to a loss they would rather that not talk about. The loss was especially meaningful for the Bulls not just for what happened in the game, but the implications of the loss.

With the Bulls loss tonight and Charlotte’s win, Durham has been eliminated from the IL South race for the first time since 2006.

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) August 19, 2012

The Bulls’ incredible run of five straight division titles has come to an end. In this game, Jim Paduch and Josh Lueke utterly imploded to allow an 8-run 5th inning to erase a 4-1 lead. Lueke had one of the worst outings of his life, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Lueke has been pitching extremely well up until this bump in the road and hopefully this is just a one-time deal and we’ll see him pitching well in the big leagues in September. Lefty Adam Liberatore did strike out 5 while walking none in 2.1 innings of relief, but by then it was too late. Nevin Ashley did have an outstanding game for Durham, going 2 for 2 with a double, a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Brooks Conrad also homered, and Henry Wrigley went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Double-A Southern League: Huntsville Stars (MIL) 6, Montgomery Biscuits 5 (10 innings)

If you want to experience just a little bit of what it’s like to be an Angels fan right now, you can think about this Biscuits game. The Biscuits had a 5-0 lead after 3 innings before letting it slip away. The Biscuits scored 5 runs in the second and third innings, with 3 of the runs being driven in by ninth-place hitter Mark Thomas, and starter Jake Thompson gave the Biscuits a strong performance, going 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 2 while walking 1 and posting a 10-4 groundout to flyout ratio. But the Stars pulled within 5-3 on a Kentrail Davis home run off of C.J. Riefenhauser and tied the game in the bottom of the 8th as Kirby Yates walked the bases loaded before allowing a Brock Kjeldgaard 2-run single. And in the 10th, Davis came through again with a walk-off single against Neil Schenk as the Biscuits had completely fallen apart to lose 6-5. The Biscuits scored 5 runs on just 6 hits, but they talled 11 walks and failed to capitalize, leaving 11 runners on base in the game. Thomas went 3 for 5 with a double, 3 RBI, and a run scored in the loss.

Great to see Torrez come back the way he did. (Credit: Flickr user BeGreen90)

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 9, St. Lucie Mets 8

No disappointment here as the Stone Crabs came up with an incredible comeback of their own. Eliazer Suero tossed 3 shutout innings but came apart in the 5th, allowing 5 runs, just 2 earned after a Riccio Torrez error. On the day he was not that bad, going 3.2 innings allowing just the 2 earned runs on 5 hits, striking out 5 while walking 2 and posting a 4-2 groundout to flyout ratio, but the Stone Crabs were down 5-1. However, they pulled within 5-4 in the 5th on a Luke Bailey RBI double an RBI single by Robby Price, and an RBI groundout by Kevin Kiermaier. In the 6th, Alonzo Harris dampened the Stone Crabs’ spirits with a 2-run home run off of Theron Geith to extend the St. Lucie lead to 7-4. The game would remain that way until the 8th. And in the 8th, Bailey came up huge, drilling a 3-run home run to tie the game at 7. But adversity still remained for Charlotte as Daniel Muno singled home a run off of Lenny Linsky to give St. Lucie an 8-7 lead going to the bottom of the 9th. However, the Stone Crabs were not going to be denied. With 2 outs and no one on, Philip Wunderlich was hit by a pitch. Then Steven Tinoco singled. Riccio Torrez, who committed the pivotal error earlier in the game, got redemption with a game-tying RBI double. And an error gave the Stone Crabs a walk-off win by a score of 9-8. Bailey had an unbelievable game, going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Bailey has notched 6 hits in his last 3 games, all for extra bases. This is the player that the Rays have been waiting for since the moment they drafted him in 2009 and maybe this could be Bailey’s coming-out party. Price went 3 for 4, Tinoco went 3 for 5, and Cody Rogers and Riccio Torrez both went 2 for 5, with Torrez lacing 2 doubles including the game-tying hit in the 9th.

Low-A Midwest League: South Bend Silver Hawks (ARI) 11, Bowling Green Hot Rods 10

This game may very well have been the craziest in the history of the Hot Rods. Unfortunately, they could not come away with a win. This game got off to an incredible start for Bowling Green as they scored twice on bases-loaded walks in the 1st before Drew Vettleson slammed a 2-run homer in the 2nd to give them a 4-0 lead. Roberto Gomez was great in his shortened 3 inning start as the Rays have been holding back his innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits, striking out 4 while walking none. Felipe Rivero struck out 2 in a perfect 4th and then used a double play to face the minimum in the 5th. But looking in the boxscore, there’s a line that nobody wants to see. “Rivero, Fe pitched to 7 batters in the 6th.” It was an inning that you never hope to see your entire career. Better it happen at Low-A than higher up. Rivero allowed 7 runs, 6 earned, on 6 hits as he failed to record an out in the 6th inning and Charlie Cononie allowed 3 more before he could escape the inning as the Hot Rods allowed 10 runs in the inning to fall behind 10-4. That type of inning is enough to demoralize any team. We saw a 7-run 5th inning take the life out of the Angels in the Rays’ game on Saturday night. But the Hot Rods somehow refused to be fazed and came right back. In the 6th, the Hot Rods tallied 2 runs on a Tyler Goeddel RBI double to go along with a Drew Vettleson RBI single. And in the 7th, the Hot Rods put together a rally to tie the game, with Juniel Querecuto drilling a 2-run double, Ryan Brett doubling home a run, and Vettleson singled up the middle to tie it at 10 as the Hot Rods had put together an incredible comeback. Cononie and Frank Santana both tossed scoreless half-innings in the 8th. But in the 9th, the Hot Rods picked the wrong time to fall apart defensively as throwing errors by the third baseman Goeddel and the first baseman Jeff Malm scored the go-ahead run as South Bend won 11-10. Vettleson had a big game, going 4 for 5 with a homer, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Goeddel went 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, Jake Hager went 3 for 5, Taylor Motter went 2 for 4 with a walk, his 20th stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored, Malm went 2 for 3 with a double, 2 walks, and a run scored, and Ryan Brett doubled home a run and also stole a base, his 48th of the season.

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 6, Lowell Spinners (BOS) 5

No comeback here, but it got awfully scary for the Renegades. Taylor Guerrieri started and pitched well, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 3 innings, striking out 1 while walking none and posting a 6-0 groundout to flyout ratio. The ‘Gades took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a Joel Caminero RBI double followed by a Jake DePew RBI single, and after the Spinners tallied a run in the bottom of the inning, Ryan Dunn doubled home a run in the 3rd to make it 4-1 Hudson Valley. Jeff Ames then came in for the Renegades and tossed 3 sharp innings, allowing no runs on just 1 hit, striking out 4 while walking none. The Renegades extended their lead to 6-1 with Ames in the game on a Joey Rickard sac fly to score DePew in the 4th before DePew slammed a solo home run in the 6th. Marcus Jensen and Ryan Garton then tossed a scoreless inning each and the Renegades were on their way to a crisp win. But then Dylan Floro had an inning he would like to forget. With 1 out, Floro allowed triple, single, double, with the single and double each plating a run, and then a Luke Maile error made it a 6-4 game with just 1 out. Floro forced a groundout, but then a Roberto Reyes infield single that Richie Shaffer couldn’t handle made it 6-5. But Floro forced Matthew Gedman to ground out to end it as the Renegades won 6-5. DePew had a career day, going 4 for 4 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Ryan Dunn went 2 for 2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, and Tommy Coyle stole his 15th base of the season for the Renegades.

Advanced Rookie Appalachian League: Johnson City Cardinals 9, Princeton Rays 8

Oh, Rookie ball. It spawns the types of games that you never see anywhere else, like this one. Blake Snell had a rare bad start, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings, striking out 2 while walking 1, and Daniel Bream allowed a Ricardo Lizcano 2-run shot in the 4th inning to give Johnson City a 5-0 lead. But then the tide completely turned. Reid Redman doubled home a run in the 5th to make it 5-1. Oscar Hernandez slammed a 2-run homer in the 6th to pull Princeton within 5-3. And then in the 7th, the P-Rays the completely reversed their fortunes. Brandon Martin led off the inning with a homer and it was 5-4. An Omar Narvaez RBI single tied the game. A 2-run double by John Alexander make it 7-5. And Ariel Soriano singled home a run to make it 8-5 as suddenly the P-Rays had scored 8 unanswered runs to turn what looked like a sure loss into a relatively comfortable lead. But anything can and does happen in Rookie ball. Nick Sawyer, who has been next to automatic for Princeton this season, came in for his second inning of work as he tried to nail down the save. Sawyer struck out the first two batters of the inning. Saywer then walked Ricardo Lizcano, but he forced C.J. McElroy to hit a groundball to short. But Martin misplayed the ball, scoring a run and keeping the Cardinals alive. And Sawyer then fell apart, allowing a Ildemaro Vargas RBI double, a Jeremy Shaeffer RBI triple, and walk-off single by Trevor Martin as Johnson City won 9-8 with 4 unearned runs in the 9th. Hernandez and Martin both homered and Omar Narvaez, John Alexander, Reid Redman, Willie Argo, and Ariel Soriano all had multi-hit games, but the result was unfortunately a debilitating loss.