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Charlotte and Bowling Green's pitching staffs didn't have quite as smooth of an afternoon as Mike Montgomery.
Triple-A Durham Bulls (2-2)
Mike Montgomery was solid in his first start of the season in Durham's 8-1 win over Gwinnett. After a scoreless top half of the first, Wilson Betemit immediately provided Montgomery some support with a two run homer. Montgomery settled in further and threw five scoreless innings, striking out seven and only allowing three hits and three walks. Betemit would go on to reach base three more times.
Gwinnett scored an eighth inning run against Kirby Yates to cut the Bulls' lead to three runs, but they responded in a big way. After Betemit led off the inning with his third walk, Durham pounded out four straight hits to score three more runs, and Kevin Kiermaier plated a fourth with a sac fly. Yates had a perfect ninth inning to record the save. In relief of Montgomery, Brad Boxberger struck out four in two innings. In addition to Betemit, Cole Figueroa, Jerry Sands, Vince Belnome, Mikie Mahtook and Mike Fontenot all reached base multiple times.
Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (2-1)
Montgomery was postponed.
Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (1-3)
Charlotte fell behind quickly and never closed the gap in their 11-3 loss to Bradenton. In the first inning, starter Austin Pruitt yielded a grand slam to Jonathan Schwind, and he gave up a second inning run as well just a half inning after Patrick Leonard's solo home run got the Stone Crabs on the board. Pruitt finished with five runs allowed on five hits and three walks in three innings with a strikeout.
Marcus Jensen settled the game down a bit with three scoreless innings of relief, but Nick Sawyer and Parker Markel were not quite as good. Sawyer walked three and was charged with two runs while only recording one out, and Markel got hit for four runs in an inning. Charlotte got two more runs in the fifth on a Tyler Goeddel triple, but their offense only had six total hits. Justin O'Conner earned a golden sombrero.
Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (2-2)
After erasing a quick three run deficit, Bowling Green ended up losing a lead of their own and falling to South Bend 7-5 in 10 innings. South Bend's Michael Perez cleared the bases with a first inning double, but the Hot Rods scored the next five runs of the game. The first two runs came on a groundout and throwing error, but Bowling Green really earned them in the fourth with RBI singles by Juniel Querecuto, Johnny Field and Armando Araiza. After allowing the three early runs, Hunter Wood would settle in a bit and finish with four runs allowed on four hits and two walks in 4.2 innings with two strikeouts.
He allowed the tying run in the seventh, but young German Marquez pitched well, allowing just the run on two hits and one walk in 4.1 innings with three strikeouts. In the 10th, Aaron Griffin allowed a two run homer to former first rounder Stryker Trahan, and the Hot Rods were unable to tie in the bottom half of the inning despite the first two batters reaching base. With four hits, Granden Goetzman carried the load for Bowling Green's lineup.
Star of the day- He might've walked three, but Montgomery did well.
Goat of the day- Pruitt put Charlotte in another hole they couldn't get out of.
Today's games (probables courtesy of milb.com)
Durham v. Charlotte 7:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Erik Bedard (0-0, ---) v. Charlie Leesman (0-0, ---)
Montgomery v. Birmingham 10:35 AM (MiLB.TV, radio stream) DOUBLEHEADER
Mike Colla (0-0, ---) v. Nick McCully (0-0, ---)
Grayson Garvin (0-0, ---) v. Terry Doyle (0-0, ---)
Both games will be seven innings
Charlotte is off
Bowling Green is off
*Listed as TBA on milb.com
Scouting the opposition
Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
3-1 (1st in IL South)
Offense: 10 R (7th) .621 OPS (11th)
Pitching: 1.80 ERA (2nd) 1.20 WHIP (6th)
Top 30 Prospects: 3B Matt Davidson (4), 2B Carlos Sanchez (12), OF Jared Mitchell (13), RHP Jake Petricka (21)
Birmingham Barons (White Sox)
1-2 (T-3rd in SL North)
Offense: 20 R (2nd) .771 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 6.48 ERA (10th) 1.48 WHIP (9th)
Top 30 Prospects: 2B Micah Johnson (5), OF Trayce Thompson (7), RHP Chris Beck (8), RHP Chris Bassitt (15), LHP Scott Snodgress (16), OF Keenyn Walker (23), RHP Myles Jaye (24), 1B Rangel Ravelo (30)