Buffalo Bisons 3 Columbus Clippers 7

This game was so close to finally being a very good start for Pat Misch. He was cruising through the game, having faced just two batters over the minimum through five, and then horror struck in the 6th inning. He had given up a run on a single and triple and it appeared as if he would get out of the inning without too much damage done. A bloop and a blast later and the game was blown open.

There were some pretty good performances from the actual prospects on the offense. Fernando Martinez scored on both of his singles, first on a sac fly and then on a ground out. Zach Lutz hasn’t missed a beat since returning from the DL. He has seven hits in the five games since coming back. Two of those hits came tonight and one of them was a double that moved Martinez to third base to set up the sac fly. Michael Fisher picked up a two-out single in the 3rd inning.

Stars of the Game: 1. Fernando Martinez (2-for-5, 2 R, 2 K) (24pts) 2. Zach Lutz (2-for-3, 2B, BB) (15pts) 3. Michael Fisher (1-for-5, 2 K) (21pts)

Binghamton Mets 6 Richmond Flying Squirrels 4

The offense put up some big early runs and Tobi Stoner did a very poor job trying to hold the lead, albeit not all his fault. The bottom of the first was a mess defensively. After a leadoff double, Jordany Valdespin set the stage for the inning by botching the throw to first and leaving the runners safe at first and second. Then as Stoner struckout the next batter, the baserunners attempted a double steal and the lead runner should have been out at third, but Josh Satin could not catch the throw, the lead runner came around to score, the back runner took third, and would score on a sac fly. By his own fault Stoner gave up two more runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning and that would be all the scoring in the game.

The offense came out firing early on registering four runs with two outs. Salomon Manriquez picked up the first two-out RBIs by doubling home two, followed by Jordany Valdespin and Eric Campbell RBI singles. That was all the scoring the B-Mets would need, but Reese Havens picked up an insurance run with a solo homerun in the 2nd.

Stars of the Game: 1. Reese Havens (2-for-5, HR, R, RBI, SB, 2 K) (11pts) 2. Eric Campbell (3-for-4, RBI) (14pts) 3. Brahiam Maldonado (3-for-5) (31pts)

St. Lucie Mets 11 Palm Beach Cardinals 10

This was an absolute slugfest with some late inning drama.

Things started off great for the Mets on the mound. Armando Rodriguez was dealing tonight. There was a stretch from the 3rd to the 5th inning where Rodriguez struck out five consecutive batters and recorded eight outs in a row by the strikeout. He left the game up 8-2.

Half of those eight runs came courtesy of the long ball. Juan Lagares got the the ball rolling with a two-run homerun and then Stefan Welch and Wilmer Flores went back to back.

Cue the bullpen collapse. It took three pitchers to get out a miserable 8th inning. The Cardinals sent 12 men to the plate in the inning, and even with John Church picking up a double play while just one run across the board they still put up seven runs in the inning to take a two run lead. The biggest blow of the inning was a grand slam Nick Carr gave up to the first batter he faced.

With two outs, a run across the board, and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th Juan Lagares delivered the clutch two-RBI single to drive in the game winning run.

A bit alarming as Jefry Marte was forced to leave the game after being hit in the hand with a pitch.

Stars of the Game: 1. Juan Lagares (3-for-5, HR, R, 4 RBI, K) (33pts) 2. Wilmer Flores (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, K)(34pts) 3. Matt Den Dekker (1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, SB, 2 K) (40pts)

Savannah Sand Gnats 2 Rome Braves 1

Savannah needed this game to clinch the first half championship so Ryan Ellis, the Gnats manager, wasn’t holding back in the later innings.

Gonzalez German pitched seven beautiful innings to pick up his fifth win of the year and handed the ball to closer, Josh Edgin in the 8th. Pitching on back to back days Edgin had no problems going two innings to clinch the championship.

The Sand Gnats got their only two runs of the ball game all the way back in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Albert Cordero continued to try to turn his season around with an RBI single and Luis Nieves drove in the other run with a ground out.

Stars of the Game: 1. Gonzalez German (W, 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, BB, 4 SO) (7pts) 2. Albert Cordero (2-for-3, RBI) (10pts) 3. Robbie Shields (1-for-3, 2B, BB) (31pts)