It was an up and down day for the Pharm: the IronPigs slipped past an in-state foe in a tight one as Clearwater rode a seven run inning to a resounding victory, but the Fightin Phils got outfought, and Jersey Shore lost a heartbreaker. Also, the DSL Phillies tormented the DSL Marlins with patience: fourteen walks!
Lehigh Valley 5, Scranton/Wilks-Barre 4
This Keystone State showdown went to the good guys. Tommy Pham led the way with a three for four day, and Payton Henry homered. Kameron Misner had a hit to go along with two free passes. The winning run was scored in decidedly unglamorous fashion (throwing error on what ought to have been a routine grounder), but victory needn’t be pretty. Alan Rangel scattered 8 hits across 4.2 innings of work, allowing 4 runs, and striking out three. Michael Mercado and Grant Holman allowed only a single hit each, and the latter took home the win.
Chesapeake 9, Reading 2
Chesapeake struck first with one run in the first, but the Fightin Phils struck right back to tie it. Unfortunately, they couldn’t match the subsequent Baysox barrage, with the visitors scoring two runs in each of the third, fourth, and fifth innings (and then again in the eighth for good measure). Starter Braydon Tucker surrendered seven runs on ten hits, four of them homers, with just two strikeouts. Bryan Rincon was three for five, and Pedro Léon had two hits of his own, but there were just two hits combined coming from the other Phils.
Brooklyn 1, Jersey Shore 0
Just eight hits total between the two teams. And the only run scored wasn’t on one of them: it was a fielder’s choice with runners on the corners that scored it. The BlueClaws had three of those eight hits; they had more walks and strikeouts than hits (five each). The pitching was strong, though: starter Tanner Gresham allowed 4 hits and a pair of walks through 5.2 innings of work, ensuring none became runs. Jake Eddington had the loss despite only allowing a single hit. That baserunner advanced to third on a fielder’s choice plus error from Juan Villavicencio at shortstop, then darted for home on a grounder to second. The throw was in time, but catcher Kodey Shojinaga dropped it; a hard luck game for Eddington, and for the BlueClaws as a whole.
Clearwater 8, Fort Myers 2
Threshers, being a type of shark, are far more imposing than Mussels, even if the Fort Myers variety are officially referred to as Mighty. It didn’t seem that way at first: the game was tied at 1-1 in the third, and the next four innings were scoreless. Then Clearwater rattled off seven runs in the eighth, thanks to two homers, two walks, and three singles. Those homers came from Jack Hopko and Jonathan Hogart. Victor Cardoza, Brady Day, and Matthew Ferrara had two hits each. Four Thresher pitchers ( came to the mound, and allowed a total of four hits, with 12 strikeouts; seven of those Ks came from Matthew Fisher.
DSL Phillies 11, DSL Marlins 7
The DSL Phillies had more runs (11) than hits (eight) thanks to working a whopping 14 walks. Six Phils had multiple free passes; Francisco Renteria had three. . Only one (Jose Tovar) had more than one hit, but hey: if you get on base, who cares how you get there? Starter Justin Burgos had a tough day, with five runs on eight hits and three walks, but relievers Yoel Zambrano and Leonardo Larez ensured the Marlins would take the loss.