The Undercards: Leslie Anderson Helps Power Bulls to Victory

Leslie Anderson opened some eyes with his performance during Spring Training, as he was amongst the Rays leading hitters in the Grapefruit League. He has carried that over to Durham, where he is batting .316/.382/.503 on the year. If he continues to hit at that rate, he may find himself in line for a promotion to the Rays should an injury occur.

Durham Bulls 7, Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) 2

The Bisons jumped out on the Bulls in the first, as Moises Sierra tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, then was followed with a solo home run from Mauro Gomez to take a 2-0 lead. With the rehabbing Josh Johnson on the mound, it seemed as though it may be a difficult night for the Bulls. However, they fought back, getting one run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Leslie Anderson before exploding for four runs in the third. Tim Beckham hit a two out, two run double to put the Bulls in the lead, and following a hit batter, Cole Figueroa came through with a two run double of his own to give the Bulls a 5-2 lead. The Bulls tacked on insurance runs in the fifth on an RBI double from Mike Fontenot and in the seventh, courtesy of Anderson’s seventh home run of the year as they swept the Bisons, taking the final game 7-2. J.D. Martin picked up the victory, giving up two runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings, striking out four batters. Anderson was 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Vince Belnome was 0-3 with a walk and a run scored, snapping his hitting streak at 18 games.

Montgomery Biscuits 6, Mississippi Braves 2

Montgomery took the lead with two outs in the second, with Riccio Torrez hitting a double and coming around to score on a base hit from Mark Thomas to score the game’s first run. They added another in the third, putting runners on first and third with two out before Shawn O’Malley scored on a wild pitch. The Braves tied the game in the fifth. Following a one out walk, Luis Nunez hit an RBI double, and came around to score on a double off the bat of Philip Gosselin. However, the Biscuits continued to work their two out magic, as Torrez once again came through, belting a two out, two run home run to give Montgomery a 4-2 lead. The Biscuits added two more runs in the ninth. With runners on first and second Mikie Mahtook hit a single to to right. A throwing error allowed two runs to score, and provided the final margin as Montgomery went on to the 6-2 victory. Merrill Kelly picked up the win, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks in six innings. Torrez was 2-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. O’Malley and Kevin Kiermaier each had three hits in the victory.

Charlotte Stone Crabs v. Palm Beach Cardinals – postponed

Due to rain, the game between the Stone Crabs and the Cardinals was postponed until June 7th, where the teams will play a double header in Charlotte.

Lake County Captains (Indians) 6, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1

Lake County got to Hot Rods starter Dylan Floro early, scoring four runs in the second. Eric Haase kicked off the scoring with a two run home run, and the other two runs came across on RBI singles from Erik Gonzalez and Dorssys Paulino. The Captains put another run on the board in the third, as Logan Vick led off the inning with a solo home run. Bowling Green got on the board in the fifth, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Leonardo Reginatto drove in a run with a base hit, and the Hot Rods appeared to be on the verge of mounting a rally. However, a double play and a strikeout ended the threat. Lake County got that run right back in the bottom of the inning as Paulino doubled with one out, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch. The Hot Rods were not able to mount another threat, as they fell to the Captains 6-1. Floro took the loss, giving up six runs, five earned, on eight hits in six innings, striking out five. Andrew Toles was 2-4 with a double in the loss.