Indianapolis 9, Norfolk 3
The Indy Indians touched up Radhames Liz to the tune of five earned over five innings on seven hits, and were down 6-0 before a three-spot in the seventh inning. There would be no rally, though, as Indianapolis put up three more of their own in the bottom of the eighth for the runaway win.
Ryan Bukvich allowed an unearned run, and fellow journeyman Esteban Yan gave up the last three Indian scores. Liz threw 90 pitches on the night, 53 of them for strikes. Indianapolis starter Luis Munoz also threw 53 strikes, but on 81 pitches over six and two-thirds for the win.
Mike Costanzo hit his first homer of the season, a solo shot. Chris Heintz had a double and an RBI, and Luis Terrero had a steak, too.
Akron 12, Bowie 5
Jason Berken is a 24-year old righty, a Green Bay native and a Clemson alum. How about this line? 5 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts.
After Berken was pulled, 26-year old Bloomsburg, Penn., native Ryan Keefer took over. How about this line? One-third of an inning, 3 hits, 6 runs, 1 earned, no walks, no Ks. No fuss, no muss.
Once Keefer was out of the game, 27-year old ex-Yankee Gerardo Casadiego toed the rubber. One and two-thirds innings, 2 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 3 walks, no strikeouts.
The Baysox committed six errors in total, allowing the 12 Akron runs on just nine hits. Bowie actually out-hit Akron on the night, 12 to nine. Mike Rodriguez, Jeff Nettles and Blake Davis all went 2-for-5, and Ryan Finan was 3-for-5. Rodriguez had the team's only extra-base hit, a triple. Nolan Reimold was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
The errors came from Reimold, Rodriguez and Nettles, plus Davis, the shortstop, who had three of them in total -- one on a missed catch, one on a throw, and one on a grounder. Not a pretty game for the Baysox, but these games happen. God bless minor league baseball.
Myrtle Beach 3, Frederick 2 (11 innings)
Wieters Watch! Matt went 2-for-4 with a walk. What's the bet right now on the date for his promotion to Bowie? May 31st? Here's an interesting question, though. Do you maybe try to skip Double-A with Wieters, leaving him down at Frederick a little longer than one normally might, and then see if he can skirt all the way up to Norfolk? Ben Davis is at Bowie for a reason, believe me. It's not because Chris Heintz is a better player, it's because they want Davis working with Spoone and Tillman and the rest.
Second baseman Miguel Abreu was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Keys, but the real standout, again, was Brandon Erbe. Erbe didn't get the win, but he was sharp for the second start in a row, going 6 1/3 with eight strikeouts and just two hits allowed for one earned run. Raise his stock back up a little bit.
The Keys held a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, when Myrtle Beach left fielder Willie Cabrera led off with a solo homer. The winning run scored when Keys reliever Ryan Oullette hit Gorkys Hernandez with a pitch, forcing in a run. Outstanding!
Delmarva 3, Lakewood 1
The Shorebirds saved the system from going winless on the day, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take down the BlueClaws. Who doesn't love minor league team names?
Leadoff man Matt Angle was 0-for-2, but walked twice and scored a run, and catcher Wally Crancer had two hits and an RBI on the day. Brian Parker got the win in relief, and Mike Mattaliano picked up his third save. Starter Zach Britton went six strong innings, allowing just the one run and striking out four. Britton is a 20-year old lefty who's looked pretty sharp this season over his first three appearances. He might warrant a bump up shortly if he keeps it up.
Records
Norfolk 5-4
Bowie 3-6
Frederick 4-3
Delmarva 3-4