Sunday saw Spencer Schwellenbach toss a gem for Augusta in his second start of the season. Schwellenbach allowed just one unearned run and three base runners over five and a third innings. We also got to see Huascar Ynoa turn in a similar level of performance for Gwinnett, while Nacho Alvarez was one of the top performers at the plate.
Omaha Storm Chasers 6, Gwinnett Stripers 1
- Luke Williams, LF: 2-3, 2B, SB, .267/.320/.467
- Skye Bolt, CF: 2-2, 3B, R, .185/.290/.407
- Huascar Ynoa, SP: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 6.52 ERA
Huascar Ynoa got the start and he was excellent in four innings of work, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. Of course the lone hit he allowed was a solo homer to Royals prospect Nick Pratto, but it’s hard to complain about a strong effort like this one – even if his command was a bit shaky on the day, despite only walking one. Taylor Widener followed Ynoa and went three innings, allowing three runs on seven hits – though he did strike out five. The final inning was thrown by Ken Giles, who recorded a strikeout for each out of the inning but also allowed two runs in there as well.
The offense struggled on the day against young Royals arm Jonathan Bowlan, putting up just one run on seven hits and no walks. Four of those seven hits came from the starting outfield as Skye Bolt was a perfect two for two with a triple and run scored, while Luke Williams was two for four with a double and steal. Beyond those two the only other Stripers to reach base were in the form of singles by Andrew Velazquez, David Fletcher, and Ryan Casteel.
Biloxi Shuckers 4, Mississippi Braves 3
- Nacho Alvarez, SS: 3-5, R, 2 SB, .323/.462/.355
- Cal Conley, 2B: 1-4, HR, R, RBI, .258/.303/.387
- Keshawn Ogans, 3B: 2-5, 2B, RBI, .259/.259/.296
JJ Niekro got the start and went one out shy of five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk. Niekro kept Biloxi off the board for the first four innings, before allowing the runs in the fifth and getting chased from the game before finishing out the inning. Jake McSteen followed and allowed a run over an inning and a third and Trey Riley took the loss after allowing a run over two innings of work. A scoreless inning from Domingo Gonzalez would finish this one off for the pitching staff.
Nacho Alvarez led the offense in this one, collecting three hits, stealing two bags, and scoring a run during his three for five day at the dish. Keshawn Ogans also stood out, going two for five with a double and RBI, while Cal Conley added a solo homer. Among the other Braves with an extra base hit, Brandon Parker doubled and Cody Milligan tripled and stole a base in the loss. Drake Baldwin spent the day as the DH and went hitless in four at bats, but did draw a walk.
Rome Emperors 5, Hudson Valley Renegades 4
- Kevin Kilpatrick, CF: 2-4, SB
- Ambioris Tavarez, SS: 0-1, R, 2 BB, SB
- Sabin Ceballos, DH: 1-4, 2B, R
- Spencer Schwellenbach, SP: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 0.00 ERA
The first game of the doubleheader saw Spencer Schwellenbach on the hill, and he was excellent. Schwellenbach allowed just one unearned run on two hits and a walk over five and a third innings, striking out four – though he didn’t earn the win as this game saw Rome blow a lead and need to win in extra innings. Elison Joseph finished off the sixth inning for Schwellenbach not allowing any additional runs to score. The Emperors turned to Rolddy Munoz for the save, but he allowed a pair of runs in the seventh – though he did record two strikeouts. Chad Bryant came on for the eighth and picked up the win, only allowing the inherited extra inning base runner to score.
The top of the order played a big part in Rome coming away with this win. Leadoff man Kevin Kilpatrick was two for four and stole a base, then the #2/3 hitters, Sabin Ceballos and Ethan Workinger, each doubled and scored a run to go with a Workinger RBI. Catcher Adam Zebrowski hit cleanup and was two for three with a walk and batted in a run as well. Add in a run scored from Stephen Paolini, who was pinch running in Ceballos’ spot, and the top four hitters scored three runs and picked up the only two RBI that Rome had. Ambioris Tavarez was 0-1 on the day, but drew a pair of walks and stole a base in a game that can hopefully get his bat going after a slow start to the year for him.
Hudson Valley Renegades 6, Rome Emperors 3
- EJ Exposito, SS: 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, .133/.235/.400
- Sabin Ceballos, 3B: 1-4, .250/.364/.321
- Landon Harper, RP: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA
The second game of the doubleheader saw a bit of a bullpen game from Rome after Tyree Thompson got the start and allowed three runs in the first inning. Landon Harper came out for the second inning and put up a great effort, going four scoreless innings of relief and allowing just two hits and one walk. Shay Schanaman was next and he allowed three runs while recording just one out, then a scoreless inning and a third from Ryan Bourassa, and finally catcher Dawson Dimon came in to record one out to finish this game off.
The 6-3 final score is a bit misleading for the offense as they couldn’t do anything at all, managing just two hits on the day. All of those runs came in the form of an EJ Exposito three-run homer in the fourth inning. The other hit was a single from Sabin Ceballos, who finished the two going two for eight. After a big first game, Adam Zebrowski reached base with a walk, making him two for five with two walks on the day – reaching base four times combined between the pair of games.
Augusta GreenJackets 7, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 4
- Jace Grady, RF: 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB, .286/.333/.500
- Drew Compton, DH: 2-4, 3 RBI, .240/.345/.360
- Riley Frey, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.00 ERA
It was Riley Frey’s turn to start and he pitched four solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Adel Dilone followed and picked up the win while allowing just one unearned run over two innings of work. After a scoreless inning and two thirds from Zack Austin, LJ McDonough allowed the final run to score over the last inning and a third of this game.
The Augusta offense put up seven runs, though six of those runs were driven in by a pair of hitters. Jace Grady led the way, going two for five with a two-run homer, two runs scored, three batted in, and a stolen base. Drew Compton was the other half of the run producers in this one, going two for four with three batted in as well. Beyond those two the only other Augusta hits were a double from Leiker Figueroa and a Kade Kern single, and the lineup only added two walks, showing just how much Grady and Compton propelled the offense on Sunday. Among the notable prospects Isaiah Drake was hitless in four at bats, but drew one of the walks and scored a run, while Diego Benitez was also 0-4.
