The Diamondbacks Minor League teams went 0-3. Reno had a day off and two of the teams suffered 1-run losses.
AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles 6, Frisco RoughRiders 7 (F/10)
Amarillo would face Rangers pitching prospect Hans Crouse and despite getting a handful of walks were unable to put much offense together. On the other side Tommy Henry was able to keep pace for most of the game. Henry would allow 3 runs in the first 7 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts in that span. The Soddies would plate 2 in the 5th, with productive outs to take advantage of a 2nd and 3rd with no outs situation. Stone Garrett would tie the game in the 7th with an RBI single.
In a 3-3 game, manager Shawn Roof would send Henry back out in the 8th. He would record a couple outs on the ground with a single sandwiched in before getting pulled after delivering 94 pitches. That proved to be a bad decision in hindsight, as Matt Brill would allow the first four hitters he faced to reach to put the team in a 6-3 hole. Undeterred, Jancarlos Cintron would smack a 2-run homer in the 8th and a Ryder Jones sacrifice fly would plate the tying run in the 9th. They had a chance to end it in the 9th as Stone Garrett was able to reach 3rd with 1 out, but a groundout and strikeout would prevent him from scoring the winning run.
Not once but twice they were able to overcome 3-run deficits. Extra innings proved to be a different story. Blake Rogers would be unable to keep the free runner from scoring despite recording two strikeouts and a fly ball thanks to a wild pitch. In the bottom half of the inning, a strikeout and a groundout would prevent the Poodles free runner from advancing to 3rd. That proved to be pivotal as Renae Martinez was thrown out attempting to score on Cintron’s 2-out single.
High A: Hillsboro Hops 4, Eugene Emeralds 5
Brandon Pfaadt wasn’t amazing, but certainly was better than the final line as it was a case of one play in one inning getting away from Hillsboro. Pfaadt struggled with control in the 2nd, allowing both of his walks and hitting a batter in the frame. He had a chance to limit the damage to 1 run, but an ill-timed error by 3B Tristin English prevented them from escaping a bases loaded, 2 out situation with no further damage. Pfaadt would strike out 11 hitters in the game, but would also allow a pair of solo homers.
The 3-run inning also came on the heels of the Hops scoring 3 runs in the top of the 2nd. A walk and an infield hit, combined with a pair of wild pitches, would put two runners in scoring position for Cam Coursey. Coursey singled them both home and would score on Jorge Barrosa’s double to left. After the events of the bottom of the inning and Eugene taking a 5-3 lead, Dominic Canzone would hit his 7th homer of the year to cut it to 5-4. Hillsboro would have a chance in the 9th, as the first two hitters reached. A poorly executed bunt and a ground ball double play to 3B would prevent them from capitalizing on that situation.
Low A: Visalia Rawhide 3, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 9
Austin Pope got slammed for 7 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings, pushing his record on the year to a dubious 0-10. He did provide 6 innings on the mound for what it’s worth, but the team was still in a big hole. Visalia would score a couple runs in the 8th inning, but the offense was unable to follow up on potentially closing that big a hole.