Royals on the Farm 4/12

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 5, O-Royals 1

CF Costa 2-4 -- .351
2B Aviles 1-4, HR (2), RBI (9), K, RS -- .316
RF Hollins 1-3, BB, 2B (3) -- .222, team only had 4 hits
1B Shealy 0-3, BB -- .176
LF Lubanski 0-3, 2 K -- .200, in 1-18 slump
DH Stodolka 0-3, K -- .455

Lumsden 3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 2 H, 6 BB, 2 K, pickoff -- L, 0-1, 5.87 ERA, (shaking my head at 6 walks!), 69 pitches
Salmon 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, K -- 3.00 ERA, Royal pitchers had trouble with K zone Saturday
Peralta 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA

*** Tyler Lumsden and Brad Salmon were handing out free passes and the Redbirds cashed in to even the series at a game each. Mike Aviles got Omaha off to the right start with a solo homer in the second AB of the game and Lumsden had an early lead to work with. He walked 3 in the 1st but stranded 2 of them and took advantage of an unassisted double play by Ryan Shealy at first to escape unscathed. He walked the leadoff guy in the 2nd, however, and wasn't so lucky. An error by Jason Smith at third allowed a run to score and another walk loaded the bases with 1 out before Redbirds DH Jarrett Hoffpauir singled home 2 to make it 3-1 Memphis. Salmon came in for the 4th and walked 1 but stranded 2 in the frame. Meanwhile, the Omaha offense struggled against Memphis starter Mitch Boggs, who retired 17 of 19 through 6 after Aviles' homer. Salmon walked 2 more in the 6th and Colby Rasmus and Hoffpauir had RBIs to make it 5-1 Redbirds. The Royals got their best chance to rally in the 9th against RP Mark Worrell as he walked 2 with 2 outs, but RP Chris Perez got Angel Berroa to fly out to end it for his 2nd save. Boggs got the win with 7 IP of an ER on 4 hits with 5 Ks to move to 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. The bullpen pitched 2 hitless innings. Hoffpauir was 1-3 with 3 RBI (4) to move to .387 and Rasmus was 1-2 with 3 walks and his 3rd RBI to move to .220.

The O-Royals are 6-3 and 1.5 games up on first. The series is continuing this afternoon. Starters: Omaha RH Matt Wright (0-0, 6.23) vs. Memphis LH Joe Rogers (0-1, 8.53).

AA - NW Arkansas: San Antonio 3, Naturals 1

SS Falu 1-4, RBI -- .250
CF Duarte 1-3, BB, RS -- .207
3B Lisson 0-4, 2 K -- .147
2B Maddox 1-3 -- .179
DH Valentin 0-3, K -- .424

Cortes 4 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- ND, 1.08 ERA, 65 pitches
Mildren 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 4 BB, K, WP -- L, 0-2, 3.00 ERA
De La Cruz 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- 3.52 ERA, injured in 9th???
Green IP, H -- 13.50 ERA

*** The Naturals were in danger of being no-hit entering the 8th as San Antonio SP Steven Garrison shut them down and a 9th inning rally wasn't enough. NWA starter Dan Cortes walked 2 in the 2nd but worked around them and then stranded 2 in scoring position in the 3rd. He was pulled for Paul Mildren after 4 and the Royals had 2 walks but nothing else through 6. Mildren walked the bases full but left them that way in the 5th. With 2 out in the 6th, he allowed a double, threw a wild pitch, walked a batter and then gave up an RBI single to break the stalemate. RP Julio De La Cruz came in for the 7th and allowed a run on a walk, steal and single with 2 out in the 8th and the Missions led, 2-0. Garrison was pulled for Edwin Moreno to start the 8th and Marc Maddox broke up the no-hitter with a 1-out single. The Naturals stranded 2 and De La Cruz was pulled after giving up a leadoff double in the 9th. Patrick Green came in and gave up a single and sac fly to make it 3-0 Missions. Jose Duarte led off the Naturals 9th with a single and advanced to second on an error and Irving Falu knocked him home with a single to cut it to 3-1 and put the tying run at the plate. Unfortunately the tying run never got on base as a fly out and DP ended the game and Moreno picked up his 3rd save. Garrison went 7 IP of 2 BB and 5 Ks to move to 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA. SS Sean Kazmar was 2-2 with a walk and 2 RBI (6) to move to .207.

The Naturals are 3-6 but still tied for the division lead. A 3-game set with the Corpus Christi Hooks (7-2, AA Astros) starts today. Probable starters: Hooks SP Sean Walker (0-0, 13.50) vs. Nats SP Blake Johnson (0-0, 12.46). The Naturals are 1-2 versus the Hooks.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Lynchburg 6, Blue Rocks 3

1B D. Wood 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, SB -- .179, finally breaks out of opening slump
CF D. Robinson 0-4, BB, SB (3) -- .242
2B Bianchi 0-4, RS -- .063
DH Dickerson 1-4, K, RS -- .412
3B J. Johnson 0-2, 2 BB -- .357
* C Matt Morizio and SS Kurt Mertins had their 2nd error each and LF Jarrod Dyson had an OF assist at home.

Godin 4 IP, 3 UER, 3 H, 5 K, 2 WP -- 4.70 ERA
Hartsock 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 0-1, 2.00 ERA
Nicoll IP, ER, 2 H, K -- 5.40 ERA

*** The Rocks got off to a good start but Lynchburg's was better and the Hillcats evened the series. Kurt Mertins doubled in the 1st but was thrown out trying to get to third on a Jeff Bianchi grounder and the miscue cost the Rocks as Joe Dickerson hit a would-be RBI single. David Wood picked Mertins up, tho, by doubling home Bianchi and Dickerson, but the Blue Rocks stranded the bases full. Rocks starter Jason Godin had 2 on with 2 out in the Hillcats 1st when a Mertins throwing error scored 2 and another run scored on Godin's second wild pitch of the inning to make it 3-2 Hillcats. The score stayed that way into the 4th when the Rocks pulled off a gutsy 2-out double steal of second and home with Derrick Robinson and Matt Morizio and the game was tied at 3. Aaron Hartsock came in to pitch the 5th for Wilmington and allowed a 1-out walk and triple to give the lead back to Lynchburg but LF Jarrod Dyson saved another run by throwing a runner out at home on a flyout double play to end the rally. Hartsock allowed another run in the 6th and the Rocks stranded 2 in the 8th. Chris Nicoll came in for the 8th and allowed an insurance run on 2 hits to make it 6-3 Lynchburg. Kyle Pearson pitched a perfect 9th for the Hillcats for his 2nd save. Starter Michael Crotta got the win with 5 IP of 3 ER on 6 hits, 3 BB and 3 Ks to move to 2-0 with a 4.76 ERA. Four Hillcats had 2-hit games led by SS Brian Friday who was 2-4 with his 1st triple and 2nd RBI to move to .240.

Wilmington is 3-6 and 3.5 games back. The series is concluding today and Lynchburg already has a 6-2 lead early. Starters: Rocks righty Mario Santiago (0-0, 4.50) and Bucs' hot prospect and Hillcats southpaw Daniel Moskos (0-0, 3.60).

A - Burlington: Bees 3, Great Lakes 2

2B A. Perez 2-3, S, RBI, K, RS, SB -- .120
RF Tucker 0-3, SF, GW RBI (2), 2 K -- .167
CF Ortiz 1-3, S, K -- .343
3B Taylor 0-3, S -- .115
LF Lough 0-3, S -- .273
1B C. Robinson 0-3, BB -- .250

Caldera 5 IP, H, BB, 8 K -- ND, 1.74 ERA, great start
Swaggerty 1 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 3 K -- 5.79 ERA
Arias 2 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB -- BS, 1, W, 2-0, 3.38 ERA

*** Reliever Henry Arias helped the Bees blow a late lead but they rallied in the 9th to win the game and set up a chance at a sweep. Starter Alex Caldera stranded 2 Loons in the 1st but struck out 5 straight through the 2nd and retired 14 straight until getting pulled for Ben Swaggerty to start the 6th. Unfortunately, the Bees only managed a hit through 5 IP off Loons SP Steven Johnson. The bullpens took over in the 6th and the Bees capitalized in their half on a Loons error that scored Antonio Jimenez from second and an Alwin Perez RBI single to make it 2-0 Bees. Swaggerty was pulled after walking the bases full in the 7th and Arias got a groundout to escape the jam. Arias put the first 2 Loons on in the 8th and allowed a 1-out RBI single and sac fly to tie it before stranding 2. Perez led off the Bees 9th with a single and was bunted to third before Wilson Tucker won the game with a sac fly to right. RP Robert Blevins took the loss with 1 2/3 IP of an ER on a hit and walk to drop to 0-1 with a 1.17 ERA. Johnson went 5 IP of a hit and 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.79. Four Loons had a hit each, including 2B Preston Mattingly, who was 1-4 with 3 Ks to move to .194 on the season.

Burlington is 4-5 and 4.5 games out. The series concludes today as the Loons hold a 1-0 lead midway through the game. Starter for the Bees was Juan Abreu.