Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3, Toledo 1
Sixth inning singles by Brandon Laird and Gustavo Molina made all the difference for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre thist afternoon, as they produced three runs to lift the Yankees over the Toledo Mud Hens. Molina was one of the forces behind the offense today, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. Eduardo Nunez was 1-for-4 with a steal, but also had pair of errors at shortstop before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the 8th inning. D.J. Mitchell started for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and went seven strong innings to move to 3-1 on the season. Mitchell allowed only an unearned run on four hits while striking out six for the Yankees. Kevin Whelan’s scoreless 9th gave him his 9th save of the season, and one would have to believe another chance with the big club could be coming soon.
Binghamton 1, Trenton 0
Despite a lights-out performance by Brett Marshall, the Thunder fell to the Binghamton Mets tonight due to a lack of offense. Marshall tossed seven shutout innings, giving up just two hits and a walk, but did not factor into the decision. Instead, the loss went to Preston Claiborne, who allowed the game’s only run on three hits and two walks in his one inning of work. The Thunder were held without an extra base hit in the loss, with only Luke Murton recording a multi-hit game. Abe Almonte, David Adams, Kevin Mahoney, and Corban Joseph also mustered hits on the evening.
Lakeland 6, Tampa 5
Tampa blew a 5-3 9th inning lead to drop their fourth straight game this afternoon. Zachary Nuding pitched well for Tampa, allowing just two runs on five hits over seven innings, but the bullpen blew the chance at a victory for him. Tom Kahnle got hit hard in his only inning of work, allowing one run in the 8th before being charged with two more in the 9th after being pulled without recording an out in the inning. Kelvin Castro hit his 1st home run of the year for Tampa to get them out to a first inning 1-0 lead. Neil Medchill went 2-for-4 with a steal and an RBI, while Tyson Blaser did his best to help out, going 1-for -4 with a steal and a run scored in the loss.
Charleston 14, Savannah 5
I’m not even sure where to start with the offensive recap of this one. Every member of the Charleston line-up had at least one hit on the day and scored at least a run as the RiverDogs beat up on the Savannah Sand Gnats. Gary Sanchez was arguably the driving force behind the offense. He was 2-for-5 on the day, but it was the was the six runs he knocked in – including a three-run home run – which set the tone for Charleston. Tyler Austin, who couldn’t be stopped early in the seasom, hit his league-leading 12th home run. Mason Williams upped his average to .315 with a 3-for-4 performance on the day. Not to be overlooked was SP Caleb Cotham, who improved to 3-1 after allowing just two runs on three hits over six innings today.
