Iowa Cubs
Matt Szczur hit a three-run walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth as the Iowa Cubs trumped the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks), 3-2.
Donn Roach has pitched well all season and he pitched well today, but was staring at his first loss of the year before Szczur's heroics. Roach pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out two.
With two out in the top of the ninth, Brian Schlitter walked the bases loaded before getting a strikeout to end the threat. Schlitter just pitched one inning and one of those three walks was intentional. Schlitter had just the one strikeout. It was his second win of the season.
The I-Cubs did absolutely nothing against Reno starter Caleb Clay. Clay only allowed three hits over eight innings and none after the second inning. Clay retired the last 17 I-Cub batters he faced.
Then the Aces went to the bullpen in the ninth and Jake Barrett failed to retire a single batter. It was Szczur's third home run of the year. He was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.
Do you want to see video of the Szczur home run? I thought you might.
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Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies were shut out by the Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks), 3-0.
Frank Batista took his first loss of the season in six decisions after going five innings and allowing three runs on eight hits. Batista walked one and struck out three.
The Smokies had three hits tonight. Right fielder Bijan Rademacher came off the DL and was 1 for 2 with a walk.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans swept a doubleheader from the Carolina Mudcats (Braves), 5-3 and 6-3. The Mudcats have now lost 12 games in a row and have not won since the last game before their bus crash on May 12.
In the first game, Pelicans starter Jonathan Martinez got his third win after pitching 5+ innings and allowing three runs on five hits. Martinez walked one and struck out three.
Jasvir Rakkar pitched the seventh and got his seventh save. He gave up a harmless two-out single, but nothing else. Rakkar struck out one.
Center fielder Pin-Chieh Chen hit a two-run single in the fourth inning to break a 2-2 tie. Chen was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Catcher Victor Caratini was a perfect 3 for 3 with a double and a walk in game one. He scored on Chen's single.
In game two, Daury Torrez surrendered three runs on eight hits over five innings. All three runs he allowed came in the fifth. Torrez struck out six and walked no one.
Zach Cates pitched the final two innings for his second save. Cates didn't allow a run or a hit, but he did walk two in the sixth inning. Cates had three strikeouts, all in the bottom of the seventh.
Left fielder Kevin Brown was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk in game two. He scored once. Shortstop Carlos Penalver went 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs lost one of the strangest games of the season, 5-4 to the Dayton Dragons. (Reds)
The game didn't start out strange as Cubs starter Ryan Williams went eight innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. OK, that's a little strange since Williams had only allowed three earned runs in the first 45.2 innings he threw this season. Williams struck out two and walked no one.
With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, James Ferris came on to relieve Williams and took the loss after giving up a double with one out in the inning. Ferris allowed two hits and he walked one.
With Dayton leading 2-1 in the top of the eighth inning, Yasiel Balaguert hit a double down the left-field line. Left fielder Nariciso Crook then picked up the ball and thinking it was foul, threw the ball into the left field bleachers. Replays showed the ball was pretty clearly fair. Balaguert was allowed to round the bases and score the tying run.
Dayton retook the lead with two runs in the bottom of the eight. But Andrew Ely tied it up again when he hit a deep fly to right and Dayton right fielder Jonathan Reynoso crashed into the wall and was down on the warning track for a while. Ely circled the bases for a game-tying two-run inside-the-park home run.
Balaguert was responsible for the first South Bend run of the evening when he hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. Balaguert was 4 for 5 with a doubles and his third home run of the season. Ely did him one better by going 4 for 5 with two doubles and his first home run of the season.
Charcer Burks was 2 for 4 and he scored on the Ely home run. Right fielder Kevin Encarnacion made his first start since 2013 and was 2 for 3.