It was Thursday of closely contested ballgames, as all of the Sox affiliates won or lost by one or two runs. The Dash snapped an eight game losing skid in come from behind fashion, scoring four runs in the last three innings to earn the victory.
Syracuse 2, Charlotte 1
Chris Beck threw five innings of one-run ball, striking out five and starter turned reliever Scott Snodgress pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three. Beck now has a 3.25 ERA and 22 strikeouts to 9 walks over 27.2 innings in Charlotte. Though a small sample size, his K/9 has jumped dramatically from 4.40 in Birmingham to 6.75 in Charlotte. Micah Johnson had been struggling recently, he came in the game on a 1-14 slide, but he went 2-4 with a double. Marcus Semien went 3-4 with a double and Matt Davidson 2-4 but that is all the offense the Knights could muster.
Birmingham 6, Jackson 5
Trayce Thompson hit two home runs and Rangel Ravelo added another to push the Barons past the Jackson Generals. Ravelo’s homer was his second thus far in an August where he is hitting a robust .351/.400/.676. Ravelo now has ten home runs on the season which is notable because his previous season high was four. Kevan Smith went 3-4 with a walk and he is hitting .417 over his past ten games.
Winston-Salem 5, Lynchburg 4
The Dash snapped an eight game losing streak in dramatic fashion by scoring four runs over the last three innings. Adam Engel and Mike Marjama had three hits a piece and Keenyn Walker went 2-4 with a triple to help the Dash earn the win. Brandon Brennan threw five innings, giving up two runs on three hits, striking out three.
Greensboro 4, Kannapolis 3
Eddy Alvarez has done nothing but hit since his promotion, he went 2-3 Thursday to raise his average with the Intimidators to .600. Shortshop Ryan Leonards went 2-2 with a walk and a stolen base but it wasn’t enough as the Intimidators fell short by one run. Thad Lowry pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on six hits, striking out one.
Orem 5, Great Falls 3
Catcher Dillon Haupt was a perfect 4-4 at the plate and starter Zach Thompson threw five shutout innings, however it wasn’t enough as the Voyagers fell to the Owlz. Haupt, who is repeating Great Falls, is slashing .313/.357/.607 on the season. Thompson, a 2014 5th round draft pick, lowered his ERA to 3.51 over ten starts.