Tacoma fell to Albuquerque, 8-7. The Rainiers scored four in the top of the first, with Mike Morse delivering the big blow with a two-run double, but the fast start couldn't hold up, as the Isotopes slowly pecked away at the deficit. A sac fly in the bottom of the ninth against Chris Buglovsky won the game. Jorge Campillo got the start but left after just 2.1 innings, prompting speculation that he may be on his way up to the big leagues (rumor has it that he was receiving high fives and other various gestures of congratulations in the dugout). Jose Lopez was back, and went 2-4 in his first game of the season. Notables:
Campillo: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 2 K
Lopez: 2-4, 1 BB, 1 error (playing 2B)
Strong: 3-5
Brown: 3-5
Snelling: 1-5
Morse: 2-5, 1 2B
Choo: 1-3, 2 BB
San Antonio lost to Frisco, 5-2. Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched well enough to keep the Missions in the game, but the lineup just couldn't get anything going all day. Jon Nelson drove in both runs with a sac fly in the fourth and a base hit in the ninth; the rest of the team failed to push a single run across the plate, and Yuniesky Betancourt had the only two-hit day on the squad. Notables:
Rowland-Smith: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Betancourt: 2-4, 1 SB
Bohn: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 CS
Castro: 0-3
Guzman: 0-2, 2 BB
Rivera: 1-3
Nelson: 1-3
Inland Empire was blown out of the water early, losing to Lake Elsinore by a score of 12-6. It was an eight-run second inning that did most of the damage, as 12 batters came to the plate against Aaron Trolia, and two fielding errors extending the frame. The 66ers tried to come back, but could get no closer than 8-3. Matt Rogelstad led the way with two doubles and a walk, while Eric Blakely hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth. Everybody in the starting lineup other than Mike Nesbit recorded at least one hit. Notables:
Trolia: 4.1 IP, 11 H, 11 R (6 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
Rogelstad: 2-4, 2 2B, 1 BB
Jones: 2-5, 1 error (#10)
Blakeley: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 error
Collins: 1-4, 1 2B
Balentien: 2-5
Arroyo: 1-4, 1 BB
Wisconsin picked up the only win in the system, downing Lansing 5-4. The T'Rats were up 4-1 by the fourth inning but gave it back by the fifth, allowing the following series of events to break the tie two innings later:
Asdrubal Cabrera out on a sacrifice bunt, catcher David Corrente to first baseman Chip Cannon. Yung Chi Chen to 2nd.
With Robert Johnson batting, wild pitch by Jeremy Harper, Yung Chi Chen to 3rd.
Robert Johnson reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by shortstop Ryan Klosterman. Yung Chi Chen scores. Missed catch error by catcher David Corrente, assist to shortstop Ryan Klosterman.
Cibney Bello lasted 4.1 innings in his first start of the year, walking three and fanning four. It was the bullpen which combined for 4.2 innings of shutout ball - Craig James recording perhaps the biggest out of all by retiring Curtis Thigpen with two on and two out in the eighth. Oswaldo Navarro and Yung Chi Chen had two hits apiece. Notables:
Bello: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 4 K
Chen: 2-5, 1 error
Tuiasosopo: 1-5, 1 error (#11)
Womack: 0-3, 1 BB
Cabrera: 1-3, 1 BB
Navarro: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 SB
Boucher: 1-5
Coming up today: Damian Moss goes for Tacoma, Jon Huber for San Antonio, Ryan Feierabend for Inland Empire, and Aaron Jensen for Wisconsin.