Norfolk 8, Gwinnett 1
- W. Timmons 2-4, RBI
- J. Venters 4.2 IP, 8 R, 3 K, 2 BB
- D. Heath 2.1 IP, 0 R, 2 K
- C. Kimbrel 1 IP, 0 R, 1 K, 2 BB
Johnny Venters was rolling along in this one until the umpire tightened up the strike zone on him in the 4th. The pitch that walked Guillermo Rodriguez to load the bases in that inning should have been called a strike and Ambiorix Concepcion took the next one out of the park for a grand slam. Deunte Heath was dominent out of the pen, which is where he profiles best for the Major Leagues. And Craig Kimbrel had a fine AAA debut, throwing a scoreless inning, though the walks continue to plague him. Gwinnett falls a game behind Durham for the division lead, but maintain the lead in the Wild Card.
Mississippi OffThe M-Braves will begin their final 5 game series of the season in Zebulon, NC agains the Carolina Mudcats tomorrow.
Wilmington 3, Myrtle Beach 1
- C. Fuller 2-3, R
- R. Sullivan 7 IP, 1 R, 3 K, 3 BB
- B. Pruneda 1 IP, 2 R, 1 K, 3 BB, L (3)
Myrtle Beach manages only 1 run on 3 hits and does so without any RBIs. Former Pelicans Kelvin Villa and Carlos Rivas must have enjoyed themselves as they combined to allow just 1 unearned run over 6.1 innings. Richard Sullivan's overall numbers might not be that pretty, but he's put up a very solid season, playing for Rome and Mississippi as well as with the Pelicans. Benino Pruneda must be wearing out down the stretch, as he's allowed 14 earned runs in his last 8 appearances, covering just 8.2 innings in that stretch. That's the downside of little pitchers, sometimes they just run out of gas.
Charleston 4, Rome 0, 13 innings
- J. Teheran 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 7 K, BB
- A. Paulino 3 IP, 0 R, 3 K
Rome hasn't scored a run in it's last 32 innings. 32 innings. Wow. As such, even though they collected 7 hits, none of the hitters are getting any love tonight. But Julio Teheran was dominant, holding the River Dogs hitless for 7 innings. He and Angelo Paulino actually combined to no-hit Charleston over 9 innings, so not only did Rome's pathetic offense cost them the game, it cost these guys a rare feat.
Danville 7, Elizabethton 1
- M. Weaver 3-5, RBI
- R. Spanjer-Furstenburg 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, HP
- C. Bethancourt 2-4, 2B, RBI
- J. Kreke 2-4, RBI
- B. Oberholtzer 9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 6 K, BB
Danville captures the first game of the Appy League Championship, behind a masterful complete game performance by Brett Oberholtzer. RSF continues to dominate the league, driving in 3, and Christian Bethancourt contributes with a pair of hits and an RBI on his 18th birthday. The teams will head back to Danville tomorrow for game 2.