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.

The minor leagues worked a lot of overtime on Saturday, with a double header and three extra inning games. Here is today’s look around the action last night:

Toledo Mud Hens 7, Durham Bulls 2 (Game One)

In the resumption of last night’s suspended game, the Toledo Mud Hens were ready. Tied 1-1 with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, new pitcher Brandon Gomes walked the first batter he faced before escaping the damage. Toledo poured on the offense in the fifth inning, scoring five times, highlighted by Justin Henry‘s two run double and Jerad Head‘s two run home run. The Bulls got a run in the top of the ninth, as Cole Figueroa drove in Reid Brignac with an RBI single, but it was not enough as Durham fell 7-2. Gomes allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks over 1.1 innings. Tim Beckham was 2-5 with a run scored in the loss.

Toledo Mud Hens 4, Durham Bulls 2 (Game Two, seven innings)

Durham jumped out to a quick lead in the top of the second, as Will Rhymes hit a two run home run with two outs. Immediately after the home run, Toledo starter Drew Smyly hit Nevin Ashely with a pitch, leading to Smyly and Toledo manager Phil Nevin to be ejected from the game. The Mud Hens came back in the bottom of the fourth, putting runners on first and second with two out. Danny Worth hit a ground rule double, plating a run and moving Danny Dorn to third. Dorn the scored on a wild pitch, tying the game at 2-2. Toledo took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, as Ben Guez hit a two run triple, putting the Mud Hens ahead 4-2. In the top of the seventh, Toledo had two more ejections, as Bruce Rondon and pitching coach A.J. Sager were tossed from the game. Adam Liberatore took the loss, giving up 2 earned runs on 3 hits in an inning of work.

Montgomery Biscuits 4, Jackson Generals 3

Scoreless into the bottom of the fourth inning, Montgomery put two runners on with consecutive two out walks. Mayo Acosta followed up with a two run double, putting the Biscuits ahead 2-0. The Biscuits put another run on the board with Ty Morrison‘s RBI groundout in the fifth, putting the lead to 3-0. The Generals came back in the top of the seventh, as Francisco Martinez hit a two run double, trimming the lead to 3-2. Jackson completed the comeback in the top of the eighth, as Leury Bonilla‘s sacrifice fly drove in Rich Poythress with the tying run. In the bottom of the ninth, Mikie Mahtook led off the inning with a single. Derek Dietrich walked, putting runners on first and second. After a force out, Jonathan Arias uncorked a wild pitch, moving the runners to second and third. Following an intentional walk, Brett Nommensen grounded into a force out at second, scoring Dietrich with the winning run. Chris Rearick picked up the win, giving up an unearned run on 1 hit with 1 strikeout over 2.2 innings of work.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 2, Jupiter Hammerheads 1 (13 innings)

The Hammerheads scored first, with Aaron Dudley‘s sacrifice fly driving in Mark Canha to give Jupiter an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second. The score remained 1-0 into the bottom of the sixth, when Todd Glaesmann hit a solo home run with one out to tie the game. Despite several scoring chances on both sides, the game remained tied 1-1 until the bottom of the 13th inning. Robbie Price led off the inning with a single, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Cody Rogers then had an infield hit to the mound, where pitcher Patrick Merkling had a throwing error, allowing Price to score from second. Victor Mateo had an excellent start for Charlotte, giving up 1 run on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 5 in 8 innings. Chris Andujar picked up the victory, allowing 1 hit in his inning of work. Price finished 3-5 with a run scored.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (15 innings)

The Hot Rods scored in the top of the first inning, as Ryan Brett singled, and eventually scored on Jeff Malm‘s sacrifice fly. West Michigan tied the game in the bottom of the third, as Joshua Sale‘s throwing error following a Eugenio Suarez base hit allowed Carlos De Los Santos to score. Bowling Green looked as though they were going to take the lead back in the top of the fourth, with runners on first and third with no outs. However, a ground ball to the mound cut down Cameron Seitzer as he attempted to score from third, and two groundouts ended the threat. Although there were scoring chances for both teams, the game remained tied at one until the top of the fifteenth inning. Jake Hager reached on an error, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on a base hit by Taylor Motter, giving Bowling Green a 2-1 win. Justin Woodall picked up the victory, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk over 5 innings of relief, striking out 5 batters. Five Hot Rods players had two hits each in the marathon win.

Lowell Spinners 6, Hudson Valley Renegades 5 (13 innings)

The Spinners took advantage of three errors and a balk by the Renegades, eventually scoring a 6-5 victory in 13 innings. Lowell kicked off the scoring in the top of the first, as Mike Miller reached on an error, and came around to score on Dreily Guerrero‘s single. Lowell loaded the bases with no out in the top of the second, scoring a run on a double play. The Renegades got on the board in the bottom of the inning, as Ryan Dunn doubled on a popup to second, reached third on a throwing error, and came around to score on a groundout. Hudson Valley took the lead in the bottom of the third, as Luke Maile had an RBI single, and Dunn drove in a run with a groundout. The Renegades and the Spinners each traded runs in the sixth and seventh innings, before Lowell tied the game in the top of the eighth as Matthew Marquis scored on Miller’s RBI single. The game went into extra innings, where the Renegades loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the tenth, but Joey Rickard grounded into a double play to end the threat. Deven Marrero homered in the top of the thirteenth, giving Lowell the eventual 6-5 victory. Brandon Henderson picked up the tough loss, allowing the 1 run on 3 hits in 4 innings of relief, while striking out 5 batters. Leonardo Reginatto was 3-6 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.

Greeneville Astros 6, Princeton Rays 5

Even though the Astros scored a run in the top of the third, the Rays came back to grab a 4-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh. Princeton scored twice in the bottom of the third, as James Harris tripled and scored on Brandon Martin‘s base hit. Martin came around to score, forced in on a bases loaded walk to Omar Navarez. The Rays put up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Navarez hit a two run double. Greeneville came back in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs highlighted by a two run home run from Ricky Gringas, taking the lead 5-4. The Astros put another run on the board when Terrell Joyce and Jean Batista had back to back singles, with Joyce scoring on an error by James Harris. Princeton threatened to come back in the bottom of the ninth, with runners on second and third with no one out. However, Andrew Toles grounded into a double play, scoring a run, but effectively ending the threat as Princeton fell 6-5. Jacob Faira took the loss, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits while striking out 2 in 3.1 innings. Martin was 2-5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI in the loss.

GCL Rays 4, GCL Orioles 1 (6 innings)

The Rays jumped out to an early lead, and cruised to the 4-1 victory in a shortened game. With two out in the bottom of the second, Johnny Eierman and Leopoldo Correa executed a double steal, with Eierman scoring on an error by the Orioles’ third baseman. Correa came around to score on a single by Miguel Beltran. A double by Taylor Hawkins with two out in the bottom of the fifth drove in Douglas Duran and Beltran to give the Rays a 4-0 lead. The Orioles put runners on second and third with one out in the top of the sixth, scoring a run as Steel Russell hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Adrian Marin. Luis Cabrera picked up the victory in relief, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks over 3 innings, while striking out 3 batters. Beltran was 2-2 with a run scored and an RBI.

We begin our look around the minors with the ending to last night’s suspended game between the Bowling Green Hot Rods and the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Fort Wayne TinCaps 7, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2 (Saturday)

Ahead 2-0 when the rains came down, the TinCaps exploded for five more runs over the next three innings, holding on as they defeated the Hot Rods 7-2. Bowling Green got both of their runs in the sixth, as Drew Vittleson hit a solo home run with two outs. Alejandro Segovia followed with an infield hit, stole second, and scored on a Cameron Seitzer RBI single. Jason McEachern was roughed up in the defeat, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits over 3 innings of work. Vittleson, Seitzer, Jeff Malm, and Josh Sale each had two hits in the loss.

Now, on to today’s games.

Gwinnett Braves 6, Durham Bulls 4

On the verge of a four game sweep of the Braves, Gwinnett stormed back in the ninth to take a 6-4 victory. The Braves scored in the top of the fourth, before the game was tied by Evan Longoria‘s RBI single. Gwinnett scored twice more in the top of the fifth, and again the Bulls matched the scoring in the bottom of the inning. Durham finally took the lead in the seventh, as Cole Figueroa drove in Chris Gimenez with an RBI single. The Braves loaded the bases against Dane De La Rosa in the ninth, scoring the tying run on a passed ball, then taking the lead on a two run single by Ernesto Mejia. De la Rosa took the loss, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits and 2 walks in his inning of work. Longoria finished the night 2-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Jacksonville Suns 7, Montgomery Biscuits 1

The Biscuits scored for the first time in 22 innings, but lost to the Suns 7-1. Hak-Ju Lee provided the only run for Montgomery, hitting a solo home run on the first pitch of the game. Aside from Lee, the Biscuits were unable to get anyone else past second base. The Suns scored twice in the bottom of the first, once in the second, three times in the fifth, and tacked on another run in the eighth. Jacksonville pitchers held the Biscuits to 4 hits for the game, with Bryan Evans picking up the win, giving up only the 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 8 in 5.1 innings. Jacob Thompson took the loss, getting battered for 6 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits and 4 walks over 4 innings.

Jupiter Hammerheads 2, Charlotte Stone Crabs 0

The Hammerheads defeated the Stone Crabs 2-0 for the second consecutive game on Sunday. Both runs scored in the bottom of the first inning, as leadoff hitter Noah Perio singled, and scored on a two-run home run by Marcell Ozuna. Charlotte had their best scoring opportunity in the top of the seventh, with runners on second and third with no outs. However, Cody Rogers grounded to the mound, with lead runner Philip Wunderlich being tagged out at home. Riccio Torrez and Lucas Bailey then struck out to end the threat. Victor Mateo picked up the tough loss, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 3 in 7 innings of work.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, Fort Wayne TinCaps 4 (7 innings)

Following the suspended game, the Hot Rods and TinCaps played a truncated seven inning game, with the Hot Rods coming away with a 7-4 victory. Bowling Green jumped out to a 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Cameron Seitzer and Jake Hager, before exploding for five runs in the third. The Hot Rods loaded the bases with one out against Fort Wayne starter Cody Hebner. Taylor Motter singled, driving in a run and keeping the bases loaded. Tyler Goeddel followed with a three run triple, and later scored on Hager’s second RBI single of the game. The TinCaps fought back, scoring three times in the sixth and once again in the seventh, but the rally fell short. Parker Markel picked up the victory, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks over 6 innings, with 3 strikeouts. Goeddel and Hager each finished with 2 hits for the game.

Hudson Valley Renegades v. Jamestown Jammers

The game between the Renegades and the Jammers was postponed by rain.

Kingsport Mets 3, Princeton Rays 1

The Mets rallied in the sixth, snapping a 1-1 tie and taking a 3-1 victory over the Rays. Kingsport jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with two out in the bottom of the third inning, as Yeixon Ruiz hit his first home run of the year. Princeton tied the game in the top of the fifth, as Ismel Antunez hit a two out single, plating John Alexander. The Mets took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, as Jeyckol De Leon homered for the second consecutive night. Jacob Faria picked up the loss in relief, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk over 3 innings. Antunez finished the game 2-3 with an RBI.