All four starters on the farm were excellent last night, as Matt Cooper led the way. Cooper fired eight scoreless innings and struck out 11, and remains the leader in strikeouts throughout Minor League Baseball (by a wide margin) with 87 on the year. Erik Johnson was stellar in seven innings of work before the bullpen blew the lead, while Carson Fulmer turned in a very nice start after struggling in his previous two outings. Pitching Prospect of the Month Zach Thompson was very good as well, as he earned his fifth win of the season after throwing five scoreless innings.
Lehigh Valley 4, Charlotte 2
Erik Johnson was strong in his start, firing 7.1 innings of one run ball while giving up five hits and punching out five. The right-hander now has a 2.94 ERA over 49 innings of work at Triple-A Charlotte. Michael Ynoa came on for the save in the top of the ninth, but gave up three runs to the IronPigs and suffered the loss. At the plate, Tim Anderson, Jason Coats, and Nick Delmonico all had a pair of hits, and Anderson and Coats both had a double on the night. Omar Narvaez hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, his first of the season, and Jason Bourgeois had a base knock as well.
Jacob Turner takes the mound tonight in game two of a four game set with the IronPigs.
Chattanooga 4, Birmingham 2
Top prospect Carson Fulmer turned in a very nice start after struggling in his previous two. The young right-hander went six innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits with eight strikeouts. He only issued two free passes on the night, which is a positive sign, as he walked seven batters in four innings in his previous outing. Robin Leyer did a nice job out of the bullpen, as he pitched a hitless ninth while striking out a pair. Courtney Hawkins had the only two Baron RBIs on the night, as he led the way offensively going 2 for 4 with two singles. Adam Engel had a pair of hits, including a double, and Jake Peter had a double and a run scored.
The Barons return to action tonight with the Lookouts as southpaw David Holmberg will make the start.
Winston-Salem 8, Carolina 0
Matt Cooper was electric in his start, as he got his third win of the season after firing eight scoreless innings and giving up just two hits and punching out 11. Cooper now has 86 strikeouts in 67 innings, and still leads all of Minor League baseball in K’s. Euclides Leyer did a nice job following Cooper, as he pitched a scoreless ninth inning. At the plate, Hunter Jones led the way with three hits and two RBIs, while Cleuluis Rondon had a trio of hits as well. Keon Barnum had one base knock and two RBIs, Gerson Montilla had a hit and one RBI, and Mason Robbins had a pair of hits, including a triple, and two runs scored on the night.
Thaddius Lowry takes the mound tonight in the rubber match of a three game set with the Mudcats.
Kannapolis 1, Charleston 0
FutureSox pitcher of the month Zach Thompson earned his fifth win of the season as he fired five scoreless innings, giving up six hits and striking out seven. Thompson has now lowered his season ERA to 2.97 over 57.2 innings of work. The bullpen was lights-out for the Intimidators, as Tanner Mendonca, Jack Charleston, and Yelmison Peralta combined for four scoreless innings, with Peralta earning his first save of the season. Offensively, the Intimidators only had one hit on the night, but that was all they needed in order to knock off the RiverDogs. Johan Cruz had the lone hit of the day, a single, while Cody Daily drove in Bradley Strong on a groundout in the top of the fifth.
Southpaw Tanner Banks takes the mound in game two of three with the RiverDogs tonight.
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