The Diamondbacks Minor League affiliates combined for a 1-3 record, with the only win being a walk-off by Hillsboro in the bottom of the 9th.
Noteworthy Prospect Performances of the Day:
Reno RF Jake McCarthy – 3 for 5, 3B, HR (4), 5 RBI, R
Amarillo CF Alek Thomas: 3 for 3, 2B, HR (9), BB, 3 RBI, 2 R
AAA: Reno Aces 7, Tacoma Rainiers 8
Reno would tag 6 runs on Tacoma starter Darren McCaughan in the first 6 innings, thanks to homeruns by Jake McCarthy and Seth Beer. McCarthy was driving in all the runs, as he recorded 5 RBI and finished a double short of the cycle. Riley Smith got tagged for 3 runs in 3 2⁄3 innings in his first appearance with Reno in nearly a year. Thanks to the offensive onslaught, Reno was able to squeak out a 6-5 lead after 6. That barely lasted at all as the Reno bullpen was unable to stop a nosebleed, although nosebleeds are difficult to stop at that high an elevation. Ryan Buchter and J.B. Bukauskas each would record blown saves in the 7th and 8th inning respectively. Miguel Aguilar pitched the 9th inning and would give up the go-ahead run, the fourth straight inning the Reno bullpen has given up runs.
AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles 8, Corpus Christi Hooks 11
Kenny Hernandez got smashed for 9 runs over 3 innings, which put the Poodles in an insurmountable hole early. They would try to make some noise in the late innings with a 6-run 6th inning. After falling behind 10-0 after 5, the offense finally got into gear. A leadoff walk by Buddy Kennedy followed by a bunt single by Geraldo Perdomo would put two on for Dominic Canzone. Canzone struck out but the runners were able to advance on a wild pitch. Ryder Jones followed a single to left, plating both runners. After another strikeout, Alek Thomas would single home Jones with 2 out. Dominic Fletcher would then provide the exclamation point, hitting a 3-run homer to left center for his 11th on the year to make it 10-6. Alek Thomas would also go oppo in the 8th inning for Amarillo’s final two runs, but the deficit proved to be insurmountable.
High A: Hillsboro Hops 3, Eugene Emeralds 2
Shumpei Yoshikawa would get a start in this bullpen game, allowing Eugene’s only two runs in the 2nd. The rest of the pen combined to give up 1 hit and pitched around 5 walks to post 7 straight zeros. Hillsboro’s offense was a bit slow, but they eventually chipped away. Eduardo Diaz began the team’s scoring with a solo homer to center. In the 7th, Hillsboro was able to get runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs and it appeared that Eugene was going to get out of the mess when Andy Yerzy struck out. Fortunately, the Hops got a big time gift when the ball got away from the catcher and allowed Leodany Perez to score from 3rd on the wild pitch. The score remained tied going into the bottom of the 9th. Perez opened up the inning with a walk and moved up to 3rd on Jorge Barrosa single to right. An intentional walk would load the bases for Yerzy, but he would hit a ground ball to 2B that resulted in Perez getting forced at home. Tristin English decided that fly balls are a better idea, lifting one out to center field deep enough to score Barrosa from 3rd for the winning run.
Low A: Visalia Rawhide 4, Lake Elsinore Storm 8
This was looking to be a high scoring game, as both teams got their offense going early. After 4 innings, the score was tied at 4-4. Starter Kyle Backhus would allow 3 runs over 3 innings. Coming in next was John Carver, who would allow the tying run to score in the 4th. He put up a zero in the 5th and was tagged for the go-ahead run in the 6th. More misery would continue for the pitchers as after failing to record an out in 2 tries Carver was lifted for Eric Mendez who would allow both inherited runners to score. Visalia’s offense was unable to get going after the 4th inning, as they were shut down by the Storm bullpen over the final 5 innings.