The Lake Elsinore Storm got the tying run in the seventh inning and then rallied for three runs in the eighth for a 5-2 win in Visalia over the Rawhide Wednesday night. Starter Levi Thomas went four strong innings and three relievers covered five scoreless innings the rest of the way.
2B Max Ferguson had two hits, including a triple, and LF Lucas Dunn had two doubles and drove in two runs in the eighth inning rally for Lake Elsinore.
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Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS, ROAD TRIPS
Tagged Alek Jacob, Gilberto Vizcarra, Glenallen Hill Jr., Hazahel Quijada, Jack Stronach, Jarryd Dale, Jason Reynolds, Joe Elbis, Levi Thomas, Lucas Dunn, Max Ferguson, Neyfy Castillo
Sam McWilliams (RC) 3-for-6, 2 2B, HR (12), 6 RBI, 3 Runs
Jose Ramos (RC) 3-for-5, 2 2B, 1 BB, 5 RBI, 3 Runs
Alex De Jesus (RC) 4-for-4, 2 2B, HR (12), 5 RBI
Bryan Torres (LE) 2-for-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI
Jarryd Dale (LE) 2-for-3, 2B, BB, SB
Seth Mayberry (LE) 2IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 3K
Patrick Bailey (SJ), 3-for-4, 2B
Yorlis Rodriguez (SJ) 2-for-4, HR (2)
Nick Swiney (SJ), 4 2/3IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 6K
Randy Rodriguez (SJ) 2 1/3IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 5K
Neyfy Castillo (VIS) 2-for-3, 2B, BB
Scott Randall (VIS) 4IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
Bladimir Restituyo (FRE) 3-for-4, HR (3)
Joe Aeilts (FRE) 2-for-3, 2B, 2 BB
Mike Ruff (FRE) 4IP, 1H, 0R, 3BB, 3K
Joshwan Wright (STK) 0-for-2, 2BB, RBI
Corey Rosier (MOD) 3-for-4, 2BB, 2Runs
Robert Perez (MOD) 3-for-5, BB
Brett Rodriguez (MOD) 2-for-4, 2B, BB
Jimmy Kingsbury (MOD) 5IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 6K
Jose Guzman (IE) 2-for-4, 2 2B
Arol Vera (IE) 2-for-5
Comments Off on SUNDAY 9/5 SCORES
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Alex De Jesus, Arol Vera, Bladimir Restituyo, Brett Rodriguez, Bryan Torres, Corey Rosier, Jarryd Dale, Jimmy Kingsbury, Joe Aeilts, Jose Guzman, Jose Ramos, Joshwan Wright, Mike Ruff, Neyfy Castillo, Nick Swiney, Patrick Bailey, Randy Rodriguez, Robert Perez, Sam McWilliams, Scott Randall, Seth Mayberry, Yorlis Rodriguez
In a battle of first-place clubs, the San Jose Giants belted out 14 hits and drew eight walks to drop the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 9-5 on Tuesday night. LF Alex Canario blasted two home runs (5, 6) and SS Marco Luciano hit his 9th bomb of the year.
Giants starter Ryan Murphy went 3 1/3 IP allowing 4 runs (3ER) on 5 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts. The Giants bullpen stopped the back-and-forth scoring by holding the Quakes to just one run the rest of the way. Righty Austin Reich (W, 3-0) went 2 2/3 scoreless innings allowing just one hit and no walks with four strikeouts. RHP Clay Helvey finished off the game, going 2 IP with no runs, hits or walks and five strikeouts for his sixth save of the season.
The win put the Giants (29-14) up by three games in the North division while the Quakes’ lead in the South shrunk to 2 1/2 games.
VISALIA WALKS OFF WITH FOUR IN THE 9TH INNING
The Visalia Rawhide beat the Fresno Grizzlies for the first time in 13 tries this season with a four-run bottom of the 9th inning to walk-off with a win. Fresno took a 9-6 advantage into the home half of the 9th but Visalia got what it needed as CF Glenallen Hill Jr. capped off the rally with an RBI single to win it, 10-9.
Each team scored in five different half innings. 1B Neyfy Castillo led Visalia’s 14-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with a triple. Reliever Bobby Ay pitched the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit and three walks with a strikeout and picked up the win when the offense came through.
LAKE ELSINORE – 11
MODESTO – 5
Box
STOCKTON – 6
INLAND EMPIRE – 5
Box
TRANSACTIONS
VISALIA RAWHIDE – OF Jorge Barrosa, SS Roman Ruiz, LHP Denson Hull and RHP Brandon Pfaadt assigned to High-A Hillsboro
3B Alexander Hernandez assigned to Visalia from High-A Hillsboro. RHP Alex Valdez assigned to Visalia from ACL D-Backs
LAKE ELSINORE STORM– LHP Ramon Perez assigned to High-A Fort Wayne
INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS – 1B Julio De La Cruz assigned to Inland Empire from ACL Angels
3B Jose Bonilla assigned to ACL Angels
MODESTO NUTS – RHP Leon Hunter and LHP Max Roberts assigned to Modesto Nuts from Tacoma Rainiers.
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Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Alex Canario, Austin Reich, Bobby Ay, Brandon Pfaadt, Clay Helvey, Denson Hull, Fresno Grizzlies, Glenallen Hill Jr., Jorge Barrosa, Lake Elsinore Storm, Marco Luciano, Neyfy Castillo, Ramon Perez, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Roman Ruiz, Ryan Murphy, San Jose Giants, Visalia Rawhide
The Visalia Rawhide got three home runs from the offense and 15 strikeouts from four pitchers to post a 6-4 victory over the Inland Empire 66ers on Friday night at Valley Strong Ballpark. Back-to-back wins for Visalia evened the series at two apiece heading into the weekend.
The two teams traded blows for four innings as Inland Empire went up 4-3, but the Rawhide got a two-run homer from RF Neyfy Castillo in the fifth inning and a solo shot from 3B A.J. Vukovich in the seventh to finish the scoring while the bullpen kept the 66ers quiet. Castillo’s 8th homer of the season gave him the Low-A West lead.
Rawhide starter Brandon Pfaadt went 6 innings and earned the win (2-2) after allowing 7 hits, 4 ER and a walk while striking out 12. The 2020 5th round draft pick threw 87 pitches, 65 for strikes. He gave up back-to-back homers in the 4th inning to squander a 3-1 lead but otherwise had a very strong outing, recording three Ks in three separate innings.
RAWHIDE WORK THE PITCH COUNT
66ers starter Jack Kochanowicz didn’t fare as well, leaving after 2 1/3 innings and 66 pitches, 39 strikes. The Angels’ #7 prospect allowed 3ER on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.
A key sequence in the game came when the Rawhide saw 26 pitches from Kochanowicz in the bottom of the 2nd inning while tying the game up at 1 apiece on a home run from 1B Elian Miranda. Castillo led off the inning with an 8-pitch AB that ended in a strikeout, but Kochanowicz’ pitch count mounted as the half-inning dragged on before the side was finally retired.
Pfaadt promptly retired the 66ers on just six pitches in the top of the third and Kochanowicz was right back out there after just a brief respite. Rawhide C Lyle Lin led off the bottom of the third with a four-pitch walk and then 2B S.P. Chen saw 11 pitches in an epic AB that ended with a single to put two on with no outs.
CF Jorge Barrosa doubled in Lin to put Visalia up 2-1. After Kochanowicz struck out Vukovich, he walked Castillo to load the bases and was relieved by RHP Taylor Ahearn. Lin scored on a groundout and Visalia led at that point 3-1.
Pfaadt then surrendered a two-run homer to RF Caleb Scires followed by a solo shot by 2B Jose Guzman to give back the lead before recording six strikeouts over the next 2 1/3 innings to end his night after 6 IP. Visalia was leading 5-4 at that point on the strength of Castillo’s homer and Pfaadt was in line for the win with three innings to go and the Rawhide bullpen taking over.
BULLPEN SEALS IT
Hardly automatic so far this season, the relief corp got the job done tonight. Harrison Francis, Emmanuel Acosta and Liu Fuenmayor (S, 1) each threw a scoreless inning without allowing any hits to nail it down.
Visalia’s record improves to 8-26 and the back-to-back wins have to feel good after the rough start to the season. Inland Empire falls to 15-18 and they are now 4 games behind Rancho Cucamonga in the South division.
ANOTHER STRONG OUTING FOR PFAADT
Brandon Pfaadt went at least six innings for the third straight start and struck out 12 for the second outing in a row. Baseball America noted that Pfaadt’s velocity would dip in the middle innings in college but he threw some of his hardest pitches in the 5th inning according to the stadium scoreboard. He topped out at 93 but I heard earlier in the season that Visalia’s official gun is a bit slow. I have no inside knowledge on that, just something I heard on a broadcast. Regardless, his first pitch of the game was shown as 93 and he hit that mark three times in the fifth before the pitch speeds stopped being displayed.
The seven hits and two homers were season highs, but so were the 12 strikeouts. Pfaadt never appeared to labor in this game and 10 of his 12 strikeouts were swinging. After the back-to-back homers in the fourth he struck out DH Spencer Brown on three pitches clocked at 91, 79 and 92 mph, then threw two more strikes to CF D’Shawn Knowles to induce a groundout to end the inning. Strong comeback from the adversity.
For the season, Pfaadt has walked 6 and struck out 52 over 33 1/3 innings. His WHIP is 0.93 and opponents have batted .195 against him.
CASTILLO, VUKOVICH HEATING UP
Neyfy Castillo touches home plate after his Low-A West leading 8th homer of the season
The two big bats in the middle of Visalia’s batting order are having more success of late. Neyfy Castillo has homered in back-to-back games and has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games to raise his batting average over 30 points. His slugging pct. is up to .454, its highest since May 12th.
A.J. Vukovich is 9 for his last 26 and has a slash line of .300/.382/.467 for the month of June. Friday night’s homer was his first since May 29th and he’s hit safely in four straight games.
SOUNDED LIKE A NIGHT AT THE BALLPARK
Valley Strong Ballpark still isn’t filling up to capacity but on this Friday night it sounded like a minor league ballpark is supposed to sound. Lots of energy in the park with constant chatter throughout. The fans made noise for the back-and-forth action and the kids could be heard playing all night. It won’t be up to full capacity until June 22nd but on this Friday night it felt and sounded like they’re almost there.
Comments Off on RAWHIDE WIN 6-4, EVEN SERIES WITH 66ERS
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS, ROAD TRIPS
Tagged A.J. Vukovich, Brandon Pfaadt, Caleb Scires, D'Shawn Knowles, Elian Miranda, Emmanuel Acosta, Harrison Francis, inland Empire 66ers, Jack Kochanowicz, Jorge Barrosa, Jose Guzman, Liu Fuenmayor, Lyle Lin, Neyfy Castillo, S.P. Chen, Spencer Brown, Visalia Rawhide
