Ernesto Mejia kept hitting as Gwinnett walked off, Joe Leonard had a perfect day, J.R. Graham won his 6th game of the year in Monday's minor league action.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs 8, Gwinnett Braves 9
- Ernesto Mejia, 1B: 3-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R, SB(4), .314
- Joey Terdoslavich, 3B: 2-4, RBI, BB, 2 R, .193
- Lance Zawadzki, 2B: 3-5, HR(1), 5 RBI, .286
- Christian Marrero, LF: 1-2, HR(3), 2 R, BB, .243
- Julio Teheran, SP: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, 3.57 ERA
Gwinnett won an unbelievable game, scoring 6 times in the bottom of the ninth to walk off on Lehigh Valley. Julio Teheran started the game and was pretty rough, allowing 4 earned runs and 9 baserunners over 3 innings. He did strike out 5 but his inconsistencies are starting to be worrisome. In the bottom of the 9th, Christian Marrero drew a walk, Stefan Gartrell singled, and Marrero scored on a Ernesto Mejia RBI double. Joey Terdoslavich drove in Gartrell with a single, and Jose Yepez singled home Mejia. By that point, the score was 8-6, with Gwinnett having already scored 3 runs in the inning. With two outs, Lance Zawadzki took a called strike before depositing the 0-1 fastball in the seats for a walk-off 3 run shot. Not quite Brooks Conrad, but some impressive heroics by the G-Braves nonetheless.
Yohan Flande will look to break out of his recent funk tomorrow against the IronPigs
Montgomery Biscuits 0, Mississippi Braves 6
- Phil Gosselin, 2B: 2-4, RBI, SB(7), .260
- Joe Leonard, 3B: 2-2, 2 BB, R, RBI, SB(5), .270
- Alden Carrithers, LF:1-4, 2 R, SB(3), .324
- Zeke Spruill, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 3.50 ERA
Zeke Spruill and the Mississippi bullpen combined to throw a 3 hit shutout tonight against the peculiarly-named Montgomery Biscuits. Spruill was dealing, allowing only 4 baserunners across 6 innings while striking out 4. Over his last 19 innings, Spruill has only given up 5 runs while striking out 16. Phil Gosselin had a 2 hit day out of the 3 hole, driving in a run and stealing a base as well. Joe Leonard had a perfect day at the plate, hitting 2 singles and drawing 2 walks in 4 plate appearances. He also stole a base as well, his 5th of the year.
Gary Moran draws the start for the M-Braves tomorrow and will attempt to cook the Biscuits (I'm so sorry)
Lynchburg Hillcats 5, Salem Red Sox 3
- Matt Lipka, CF: 3-4, 2 RBI, SB(11), .260
- Adam Milligan, DH: 2-4, R, RBI, .275
- Nick Ahmed, SS: 1-4, 2B, R, BB, .275
- Edward Salcedo, 3B: 1-4, HR(6), 2 RBI, .251
- David Rohm, RF: 2-3, 2B, R, BB, .304
- J.R. Graham, SP: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 2.37 ERA
J.R. Graham turned in his 3rd straight quality start running his unbeaten record to 6-0 on the year. Graham has shown a great ability to draw weak contact so far, as evidenced by his 2.59 groundball/flyball ratio. Combine that with great control - only 13 walks in 64.2 innings, and you can see how he's been so successful. Graham's WHIP on the year sits at a very impressive 1.01. Lynchburg busted out the bats tonight as well, banging out 13 hits against Salem. The suddenly on-fire Matt Lipka posted another 3 hit game; Lipka now has 8 hits in his last 13 at bats. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come for the Braves' speedster. Edward Salcedo has tailed off a bit recently, seeing his average drop to .250, but he did his 6th home run of the year tonight.
Aaron Northcraft goes against Salem tomorrow.
Rome Braves 4, Kannapolis Intimidators 6
- Elmer Reyes, SS: 2-4, .241
- Robby Hefflinger, LF: 1-2, 2B, R, 2 BB, .500
- Brandon Drury, 3B: 1-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, .173
- Greg Ross, SP: 6 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 5.93 ERA
Greg Ross got the nod for Rome last night and was far too hittable, allowing 10 base hits over 6 innings pitched. He struck out 5 and walked a pair en route to allowing 3 earned runs. Elmer Reyes was the only R-Brave to notch a multi-hit game, going 2-4 from the leadoff spot. Robby Hefflinger, playing his first game for Rome since being demoted from Lynchburg, reached base 3 times with 2 walks and a double.
Rafael Briceno takes the bump tomorrow for Rome against Kannapolis.