=== Daily Dugout Chatter - Saturday, July 10th === (Games from Friday, July 9th)
From The My Sportsbook
KENNY IS BAUGH-RILLIANT
Kenny Baugh was brilliant in seven shutout innings as the Erie SeaWolves squeaked by the Akron Aeros, 1-0, in an Eastern League Southern Division game Friday night. With the win, Erie improved to 45-40 while Akron fell to 39-48. Baugh evened his record at 6-6 with seven scoreless innings. He allowed six hits and struck out six as his ERA fell to 3.39. Roberto Novoa recorded his fourth save with two scoreless innings of relief. Erie scored the game's lone run in the second inning when Derek Nicholson socked a double and scored on Scott Tousa's single to right field. Losing pitcher Fausto Carmona (2-4) was touched for one run on five hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out two. Brandon Pinckney went 3-for-4 for Akron.
GREAT DANE
Dane Sardinha doubled, homered, and drove in four runs and Gary Burnham knocked in three more runs as the Louisville Bats edged the Columbus Clippers 12-11 in a game filled with offense. Sardinha went 4-for-5, including his seventh homer, and scored three times to lead the Bats at the plate. Burnham smoked two doubles and finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Brian Shackelford (6-1) was roughed up for three earned runs in just one inning of work but came away with the win. He gave up four hits and walked one batter in his effort. Aaron Myette pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 10th save. Scott Proctor (2-2) allowed one earned run in one inning to take the loss for Columbus. Proctor gave up two hits and walked one batter in the outing. Ray Olmedo chipped in three hits and two RBI in the victory for the Bats. Andy Phillips homered and drove in two runs and Felix Escalona doubled and knocked in three runs to lead the Columbus offense.
DAN THE MAN
Dan Moylan collected three hits and drove in three runs and the Tennessee Smokies routed the Greenville Braves, 15-3, on Friday. Moylan knocked in a run in the Smokies' three-run first inning and added two RBI in the fifth. Already up 6-1 after two innings, the Smokies broke the game wide open with a four-run third. Nate Espy smacked a two-run double in the inning. Tennessee tacked on four more in the fifth. Dee Haynes and Jon Hamilton chipped in with RBI singles in the inning. Tennessee pounded out 16 hits in the win and five Smokies enjoyed multi-hit games. Kelly Johnson went 3-for-4 with a home run for the Braves, who have lost four games in a row after jumping out to an 11-1 record in the second half. Tony Pena also homered for Greenville. Randy Leek (1-1) tossed seven solid innings and picked up the win. He allowed two runs, one earned, on eight hits and fanned four. Isauro Pineda (3-5) was touched for eight runs, five of them earned, on eight hits in two innings.
DING DONG, THE WICHITA ISN'T DEAD
Scott Walter's three-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning lifted the Wichita Wranglers to a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Frisco RoughRiders on Friday. Norris Harper broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI single to right field to give the Wranglers a 1-0 lead. Frisco tied the game in the top of the ninth on Jeff Smith's RBI single, then took a 2-1 lead when Tydus Meadows plated Edgar Gonzalez on a sacrifice fly. Walter tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI ground out to third base. Corey Hart scored on the play. The game remained tied until the top of the 12th. With the bases loaded and one out, Ian Kinsler plated Rashad Eldridge on a fielder's choice RBI. Edgar Gonzalez gave Frisco a two-run cushion with a sacrifice fly that brought Mike Curry home. With two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the 12th, Walter deposited Luis Marcano's offering over the left field fence to lift the Wranglers to victory. Marcano (0-1) suffered the loss. He walked Cory Aldridge and Corey Hart before he faced Walter. Jorge Vasquez (3-3) picked up the win in four innings of relief.
SQUEEZE? THAT'S SUICIDE!
Mike Moriarty's suicide squeeze scored Scott Sheldon with the go-ahead run as the Nashville Sounds came from behind to defeat the Omaha Royals, 3-2. The Sounds improved to 42-35, while the Royals fell to 37-50. Keith McDonald singled home Tomas de la Rosa to tie the game at two before Moriarty provided his heroics. His bunt came with one out and off of Omaha's reliever Shawn Camp. JR House drove his 12th home run of the year in the win. Frank Brooks (5-3) tossed two innings of two-hit ball to record the win in relief. He fanned two and walked a pair. Mark Corey recorded his 14th save. Matt White fell to 0-1 after he was charged with two earned runs in the eighth inning. Raul Casanova chipped in a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI, while Jed Hansen drove in the other run for the Royals.
THREE'S COMPANY
Carlos Moreta crushed three home runs and knocked in eight runs as the Danville Braves toppled the Princeton Devil Rays 14-9 Friday night. Moreta went 3-for-3 and scored three runs to lead the Danville offense. He hit a solo homer in the third inning, a three-run shot in the eighth, and capped off his big night with a grand slam in the ninth. Moreta is the second Appalachian League player in the past two days to hit three homers in one game. Mitch Einertson smacked three home runs for the Greeneville Astros on Wednesday. Jason Paul (1-0) picked up the victory after he tossed 2 1/3rd innings in relief. Nick Gor (0-2) took the loss after he gave up five runs, only one earned, in just 2/3rds of an inning. JC Holt chipped in three hits, all doubles, and two RBI for Danville. Chris Cunningham led the Princeton offense as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Blake Schultz hit his second homer for the Devil Rays.
CLEMENTS DOUBLES ON THE FINAL HOLE
Zack Clements double in the bottom of the 18th inning plated Alhaji Turay with the winning run as the St. Lucie Mets upended the Jupiter Hammerheads 2-1 Friday. Turay led off the 18th frame with a single to set up Clements heroics. Turay led the Mets offense as he went 3-for-8 and scored both runs. Tim McNab (1-2) picked up the win in relief after he tossed 4 2/3rd scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one batter, and fanned five. Matt Overman (3-3) took the loss for Jupiter after he allowed the winning run. Overman gave up one earned run in 1 1/3rd innings. He gave up two hits and struck out one batter. Eliezer Alfonzo went 2-for-6 with a double and the lone Hammerhead RBI to lead his team at the plate. Both teams records now stand at 9-9.
THE BISON IS MIGHTIER THAN THE BULL
Brandon Phillips capped a 4-for-5 night with an RBI single in the ninth inning to lift the Buffalo Bisons over the Durham Bulls, 11-9 in a wild International League game. With the win, the Bisons (49-39) are still 3 1/2 games back of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the North Division with only three games to play before the All-Star break. The Bulls (45-41) fell back into a first place tie with the Richmond Braves in the South Division. Trailing 9-8 heading into the ninth, Eric Crozier plated Brent Abernathy with a single to start the rally for Buffalo. Phillips followed with his go-ahead base knock, while Chris Clapinski provided insurance with a run scoring single of his own. Russell Branyan and Jhonny Peralta each knocked a home run in the win. Branyan drove in four runs in the contest. Jared Sandberg and BJ Upton provided the offense for the Bulls. Sandberg turned in a 2-for-5 performance with two runs scored and three RBI. Upton smacked his 12th home run and drove in two runs in the loss. Fernando Cabrera (1-2) earned the win in relief. He went 2 2/3rd innings and did not allow a run. Durham's Matt Carnes suffered the loss in 1 1/3rd innings. He gave up all three runs in the ninth inning on four hits.
RING THE BELL
Rick Bell capped a three-hit night with the game-winning single in the bottom of the eleventh as the Las Vegas 51s defeated the Salt Lake Stingers, 5-4. The Stingers' Adam Riggs highlighted the night by hitting for the cycle in the loss. Bell's hit came with Antonio Perez and Jeremy Giambi on base. Perez was on in a pinch runner role and scored the winning run. Giambi went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a home run in the win. Riggs started his night when he delivered a single in the first inning and followed with a triple in the third. In the fifth stanza, he smacked his 14th home run of the year. Riggs waited till his last at-bat to complete the feat as he knocked a double in the eleventh inning. Las Vegas' Troy Brohawn (1-0) earned the win in an inning of relief. He didn't allow a run and allowed two hits. Salt Lake's Derrick Turnbow (1-4) suffered the loss in 1 1/3rd innings.
