Vance Honeycutt reached base twice and stole three bags for Aberdeen while Enrique Bradfield Jr. maintained his strong start to the season with Chesapeake.
Triple-A: Gwinnett Stripers, (Braves) 4, Norfolk Tides 2 – F/10
It was not the finest offensive night for Norfolk, but some of the names you care most about did have decent games. Coby Mayo had two hits and drove in both of the team’s runs. Jud Fabian had a very Jud Fabian type of game, walking three times and striking out twice. Dylan Carlson walked once and stole a base. Dylan Beavers walked in his one plate appearance as a pinch hitter.
Thaddeus Ward started on the mound and put forth a mixed performance. Over four innings he allowed just one run on two hits and three strikeouts, but he also walked five. Nick Richmond and Nathan Webb combined to toss four scoreless in the middle innings. Kade Strowd was brought on for the ninth, and made short work of the Stripers 9-1-2 hitters. Strowd returned for the 10th, and that’s where he got into trouble, allowing three runs (including the ghost runner) on four hits and a wild pitch.
Double-A: Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 7, Chesapeake Baysox 4
Let’s focus on the offense, because that was the highlight of this game for Chesapeake. The lineup compiled nine hits and four walks. Seven of the nine hitters in Chesapeake’s lineup had at least one hit, and all nine of them reached base at least once. Enrique Bradfield Jr. had a pair of singles and stole a base. Silas Ardoin went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and a run scored.
The troubles were on the other side of the ball, but it wasn’t all laid at the feet of the pitchers. The Baysox defenders made three errors, which led to four unearned runs. Ryan Long uncorked a wild pitch in the first inning, making way for Erie’s first run. In the second inning, a throwing error by Anthony Servideo extended the inning and allowed Erie’s second run of the game. And things really fell apart in the eighth, when Erie put up a four spot, three of which were chalked up to errors by Ardoin and Creed Willems.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 9, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 1
This was the best all-around game throughout the entire organization. Both the IronBirds’ lineup and the pitching staff dominated the hosting BlueClaws.
Aberdeen scored their nine runs on 11 hits, six walks, eight strikeouts, and 10 (!!!) stolen bases. Leandro Arias led the way with three hits (all singles), three RBI, a walk, a run scored, and a stolen bag. Vance Honeycutt entered as a substitute but still managed a hit, a walk, and three stolen bases. Thomas Sosa had a pair of hits and a stolen base. Ethan Anderson’s double was the team’s only extra-base hit.
Trey Gibson was the only Aberdeen hurler to allow a run, but he still had a good outing. Over 3.2 innings he gave up just the one run on two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. The final 5.1 innings of the game were perfect for the pitching staff. Juan De Los Santos earned the win with his 1.1 innings, and then Yaramil Hiraldo and Zane Barnhart delivered two frames apiece.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 3, Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros) 2
Here was another fine group effort on the pitching side of things. The Delmarva staff was charged with just one earned run. Evan Yates tossed four scoreless innings, striking out eight in the process. Christian Herberholz took the win even though he was on the mound when both runs scored. Ben Vespi walked two and struck out two over 1.2 innings for the hold. And Bryan Bautista got his first save with a perfect ninth inning.
There was less action from the lineup. Edrei Campos doubled for their lone extra-base knock. Raylin Ramos was the only Shorebird with multiple hits, singling twice. Fernando Peguero and Braylin Tavera worked a pair of walks each.
Thursday’s Schedule
Norfolk: vs Gwinnett, 12:05 pm. Starter: Raúl Alcantara (0-1, 5.06 ERA)
Chesapeake: vs. Erie, 11:05 am. Starter: Tommy Pham (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Aberdeen: at Jersey Shore, 6:35 pm. Starter: Braxton Bragg (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Delmarva: vs. Fayetteville, Game 1, 5:35 pm. Starter: Michael Caldon (First appearance)
Delmarva: vs. Fayetteville, Game 2, TBD. Starter: Chase Allsup (0-1, 4.15 ERA)