The Diamondbacks Minor League affiliates combined for a 2-2 record
Top Prospect Performances
Hillsboro PH Jordan Lawlar: 0-1
Amarillo LHP Blake Walston: 4 1⁄3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 73 pitches (41 strikes)
Visalia 3B Deyvison De Los Santos: 1-3, BB, RBI, R, K
AAA: Reno Aces 5, Tacoma Rainiers 1
Corbin Martin was spectacular for 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. His quality start allowed Reno (42-40) to take an early lead in the 2nd, when the Aces scored 3 times. Grayson Greiner, Dominic Fletcher, and Jake Hager each drove in a run, which gave Reno a 3-0 lead. Jarred Kelenic’s 3rd inning home run was the only run Tacoma put up on the board. Greiner added a 2-run homer in the 7th to push the lead out to 5-1. The bullpen was solid, as Brandon Workman, Chris Devenski, and Tyler Holton each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles 4, Wichita Wind Surge 6 (F/11)
Initially a low-scoring game, the Wichita would outlast Amarillo (38-41) in extra innings as Andrew Bechtold’s 3-run homer in the bottom of the 11th would be the difference. Blake Walston lasted only 4 1⁄3 innings, as a home run and a single precipitated an early exit. Walston allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Both team traded runs in the middle innings, with neither team holding a lead past the inning they took it.
The trio of Josh Green, Mack Lemieux, and Jeff Bain combined for 4 2⁄3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, giving Amarillo hitters a chance to try to win the game before extra innings. The Sod Poodles took a 3-2 lead in the 10th inning on Roby Enriquez’s sacrifice fly, but closer Blake Rogers was unable to hold the lead as he allowed a 1-out double to Edouard Julien to score the Manfred Man. Drew Stankiewicz added an RBI single in the 11th to retake the lead, but Rogers failed to retire a batter in the bottom half of the inning before serving up the walk-off homer.
High A: Hillsboro Hops 4, Eugene Emeralds 5
Marcos Tineo took the mound for Hillsboro (36-41) and put together a solid outing with 5 innings of 1-run ball. Tineo allowed 4 hits and walked a batter while retiring 8 on strikes. His quality outing put Hillsboro in a strong position to win, but a rough day from the bullpen spoiled the start.
The Hillsboro hitters gave Tineo enough offensive support, thanks to a pair of 2-run innings. In the 4th, Caleb Roberts drove home Ryan Bliss with a double and later scored on A.J. Vukovich’s RBI single to take a 2-1 lead. Roberts and Vukovich were also key in the 6th, as the two hitters opened up the 6th with a double and a double. Vukovich moved up to 3rd on a fly ball to center then scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Jarrod Watkins. A double play ball prevented the Hops from cashing in more on sloppy Eugene defense.
With a 2-1 lead, Hillsboro sent out Julio Frias for the 6th. Frias worked around a double and a walk to put up a zero in the inning. After the 6th inning pushed the lead to 3 runs, Jackson Goddard received the 7th inning assignment. Goddard retired the first two hitters, but a couple singles brought up the potential tying run to the plate. Casey Schmitt would end up launching a home run that tied the game 4-4.
With a brand new ball game, Hillsboro went to Kyle Backhus to try to stabilize the game. After retiring the side in order in the 8th, Backhus couldn’t get the job done in the 9th. With two outs and two strikes, Schmitt once again played the role of villain as he dumped a single to center to score the go-ahead runner from 2nd. Hops hitters went down in order in the bottom of the 9th, letting a winnable game slip from out of their grasp.
Low A: Visalia Rawhide 6, Inland Empire 66ers 3
Another strong start from a Visalia (28-51) pitcher was key to another victory. Yilber Diaz set the tone for this game with 6 innings of 2-run ball (1 earned) on 3 hits, no walks, and 10 strikeouts. On the offensive side of the ball, Visalia grabbed the lead in the first and held onto it for the entire game. Deyvison De Los Santos singled home Junior Franco in the inning. Wilderd Patino put his stamp on the game in the 3rd, singling home Jean Walters to push the lead to 2-0 followed by some adventurous baserunning that saw both Patino and Sheng-Ping Chen score on a double steal attempt. A throwing error allowed Patino to score after picking up his 44th stolen base of the year.
Things got a bit hairy in the 6th against Diaz, as back-to-back doubles put Inland Empire on the board. After Diaz recorded the 2nd out of the game, Visalia catcher Sergio Gutierrez committed a fielding error that allowed a runner to score from 3rd. With the lead cut in half, Visalia turned to Alex Valdez to get some outs. Valdez allowed a solo home run in 1 1⁄3 innings before allowing the potential tying run to reach base before getting lifted for Junior Mieses. Mieses retired the only two hitters he faced in the 8th to preserve the lead.
After getting out of a tight jam in the 8th, the hitters took it upon themselves to close out the game. De Los Santos led off with a walk after running the count full then moved up to second on Juan Corniel’s infield hit to 3B. Sergio Gutierrez once again found himself in a big situation and made up for his defensive miscue by hitting a triple to right field to plate two much-needed insurance runs and give Mieses more breathing room to pitch the 9th. After getting the first two hitters out, Mieses lost the strike zone a bit with a walk and a hit batter getting the potential tying run to the plate. The good news is he found the strike zone again, striking out the final hitter he faced to close it out.