Royals Keep (7/18): Fireflies And River Bandits Cruise, Storm Chasers Rally

[Kevin O'Brien]

 

David Shields spun five scoreless innings with four strikeouts as the Quad Cities River Bandits beat Wisconsin, and Darwin Rodriguez fired six strong frames for the Columbia Fireflies. Josh Hammond went 5 for 5, and Yandel Ricardo homered and drove in three in Columbia's rout. Matthew Lugo and John Rave supplied the offense as Omaha topped Lehigh Valley. Drew Beam battled six innings, but Northwest Arkansas fell to Midland despite Connor Scott's two-run home run.

Royals Transactions

• Kansas City Royals traded RF Rudy Martin Jr. to the Baltimore Orioles for cash.

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Storm Chasers Rally Past IronPigs Behind Lugo And Rave, 6-2

The Omaha Storm Chasers rallied from an early deficit to beat the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 6-2.

Kameron Misner opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first, but Lehigh Valley grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third on a two-run single.

 

 

Omaha answered in the bottom of the fifth when Lugo laced a two-run double to plate Elih Marrero and Rave, putting the Storm Chasers ahead for good at 3-2.

 

 

 

From there, Omaha steadily pulled away, adding a run in the sixth on a Brandon Drury fielder's choice, another in the seventh, and a Rave solo home run, his 12th, in the eighth.

 

 

Lugo finished 2 for 5 with a double, a triple, and two RBI, while Misner also collected two hits with a double and a triple. Rave reached three times, drawing two walks to go with his homer, and Marrero added two hits.

Omaha utilized a bullpen-heavy strategy in the victory. Veteran Vince Velasquez turned in the longest and sharpest outing, working three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, and striking out three to earn the win. Starter Stephen Kolek, on a rehab assignment, gave up both runs on six hits over 2 2/3 innings, and Easton McGee, recently acquired from Milwaukee, bridged the middle with two shutout innings and three strikeouts. Anthony Gose closed it out with no runs and a strikeout in the ninth.

The Storm Chasers left eight runners on base, one more than Lehigh Valley's seven. They also went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Omaha improved to 42-52 for the season. 

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
John Rave	3	2	1	1	2	1
Matthew Lugo	5	1	2	2	0	0
Kameron Misner	4	1	2	1	0	2
Brett Squires	3	0	0	0	1	0
Drew Waters	4	1	1	0	0	1
Peyton Wilson	4	0	1	0	0	2
Brandon Drury	4	0	0	1	0	0
Elih Marrero	4	1	2	0	0	0
Andrew Velazquez	3	0	1	0	0	1

 

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Stephen Kolek	2 2/3	6	2	2	0	3	0
Ben Sears	1/3	0	0	0	0	1	0
Vince Velasquez	3	1	0	0	0	3	0
Easton McGee	2	1	0	0	1	3	0
Anthony Gose	1	1	0	0	0	1	0

 

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Naturals Fall To RockHounds As Seventh-Inning Rally Sinks Beam, 8-2

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals managed just five hits and dropped an 8-2 decision to the Midland RockHounds.

Scott accounted for most of the offense, homering in the second inning for an early 1-0 lead and later doubling home No. 18 prospect Daniel Vazquez in the ninth. 

 

 

Scott finished 2 for 4 with a home run, a double, and two RBI. Midland tied the game in the third and edged ahead in the sixth before breaking things open in the seventh.

In that seventh inning, the RockHounds sent a string of hitters to the plate and pushed across five runs, turning a one-run game into a 7-1 lead. Brennan Milone added a solo home run in the ninth to cap the scoring.

No. 7 prospect Beam pitched well in a losing effort, working six innings and allowing two runs, both earned, on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Unfortunately, the bullpen struggled behind him.

Former first-round Draft pick Frank Mozzicato retired just one batter while walking four and being charged with four runs in the seventh, and that wildness allowed Midland to seize control. Zachary Cawyer followed with 1 2/3 innings, and Tyson Guerrero surrendered the ninth-inning homer.

No. 8 prospect Carson Roccaforte singled and walked atop the order, and Vazquez collected a hit and scored a run. Northwest Arkansas left seven runners on base and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. 

The Naturals fall to 37-50. 

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Carson Roccaforte	3	0	1	0	1	0
Jack Pineda	3	0	1	0	1	1
Sam Kulasingam	3	0	0	0	1	2
Spencer Nivens	3	0	0	0	1	0
Daniel Vazquez	4	1	1	0	0	2
Connor Scott	4	1	2	2	0	0
Canyon Brown	4	0	0	0	0	1
Alberto Rodriguez	4	0	0	0	0	2
Justin Johnson	3	0	0	0	1	1

 

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Drew Beam	6	6	2	2	2	4	0
Frank Mozzicato	1/3	0	4	4	4	1	0
Zachary Cawyer	1 2/3	2	1	1	0	2	0
Tyson Guerrero	1	1	1	1	0	1	1

 

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Shields And River Bandits Blank Timber Rattlers Early In 6-2 Win

The Quad Cities River Bandits jumped on Wisconsin early and cruised to a 6-2 win over the Timber Rattlers in a seven-inning contest.

Nolan Sailors got things started with a solo home run in the third, his fourth of the year, and Jose Cerice followed with an RBI single as Quad Cities built a 2-0 lead.

 

 

The River Bandits blew the game open in the fifth, scoring three times on a Luke Pelzer RBI triple and back-to-back sacrifice flies from Derlin Figueroa and Erick Torres.

No. 4 prospect Blake Mitchell was a catalyst at the top of the order, reaching base four times on two doubles and two walks while scoring twice. Sailors added a stolen base to his home run, Pelzer tripled and drove in a run, and No. 9 prospect Asbel Gonzalez singled and scored. The lineup struck out just once as a team.

On the mound, Shields, the Royals' No. 2 prospect, was dominant. The left-hander spun five scoreless innings, scattering two hits with no walks and four strikeouts to pick up the win.

 

 

L.P. Langevin handled the final two innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on a home run while striking out four. Quad Cities left seven runners on base, went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and out-hit Wisconsin 7 to 4 while coasting to the victory.

The win pushed the River Bandits' record to over .500, as they are now 43-42 for the season. The second game of a scheduled doubleheader was canceled due to deteriorating air quality in Appleton from the Canadian fires. 

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Nolan Sailors	4	1	1	1	0	0
Asbel Gonzalez	4	1	1	0	0	0
Blake Mitchell	2	2	2	0	2	0
Luke Pelzer	4	1	1	1	0	0
Jose Cerice	1	1	1	1	0	0
Derlin Figueroa	3	0	1	1	0	0
Erick Torres	3	0	0	1	0	0
Tyriq Kemp	3	0	0	0	0	1
Angel Acosta	3	0	0	0	0	0

 

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
David Shields	5	2	0	0	0	4	0
L.P. Langevin	2	2	2	1	1	4	1

 

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Hammond and Ricardo Power Fireflies Past RiverDogs, 9-2

The Columbia Fireflies pounded out 14 hits and rolled to a 9-2 victory over the Charleston RiverDogs.

Hammond, the Royals' No. 3 prospect, set the tone at the top of the order, going a perfect 5 for 5 with two doubles and two runs scored.

 

 

Ricardo, the Royals' No. 10 prospect, was the biggest run producer, homering in the fourth to give Columbia a 2-1 lead and finishing 3 for 4 with a home run, three RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.

 

 

After Charleston scratched across a run in the first, the Fireflies took control with a three-run sixth.

No. 6 prospect Sean Gamble delivered an RBI single, and Columbia added two more on bases-loaded walks to Hyungchan Um and Connor Rasmussen, stretching the lead to 5-1.

 

 

The visitors tacked on two more in the eighth on another pair of walks and put the game away in the ninth when Rasmussen launched a two-run homer. Rasmussen finished 2 for 4 with the home run and three RBI, and Gamble drove in two runs.

Left-handed starter Rodriguez was excellent, working six innings and allowing just one run on two hits with two walks and five strikeouts to earn the win.

 

 

Jhon Reyes, Randy Ramnarace, and Hunter Alberini combined for the final three innings out of the bullpen.

Columbia stranded 10 runners and went 4-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Despite those questionable numbers, they had more than enough offense, out-hitting Charleston 14 to 5.

The win propelled the Fireflies to over .500, as they now sit at 45-44 for the season. 

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Henry Ramos	5	1	0	0	1	3
Josh Hammond	5	2	5	0	0	0
Yandel Ricardo	4	2	3	3	1	1
Sean Gamble	4	1	1	2	1	3
Jhosmmel Zue	5	0	2	0	0	0
Stone Russell	4	1	0	0	1	2
Hyungchan Um	4	0	0	1	1	1
Connor Rasmussen	4	1	2	3	1	1
Angel Ramirez	5	1	1	0	0	3

 

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Darwin Rodriguez	6	2	1	1	2	5	0
Jhon Reyes	1	1	1	1	0	0	0
Randy Ramnarace	1	1	0	0	2	3	0
Hunter Alberini	1	1	0	0	1	1	0

 

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Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Kendry Chourio: DNP
2. David Shields: W, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K for Quad Cities.
3. Josh Hammond: 5 for 5 with two doubles and two runs scored for Columbia.
4. Blake Mitchell: 2 for 2 with two doubles, two walks, and two runs scored for Quad Cities.
5. Sean Gamble: 1 for 4 with two RBI, a walk, and a run scored for Columbia.
6. Ramon Ramirez: DNP
7. Drew Beam: L, 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K for Northwest Arkansas.
8. Carson Roccaforte: 1 for 3 with a walk for Northwest Arkansas.
9. Asbel Gonzalez: 1 for 4 with a run scored for Quad Cities.
10. Yandel Ricardo: 3 for 4 with a home run, three RBI, a walk, and a stolen base for Columbia.
11. Michael Lombardi: DNP
12. Ben Kudrna: DNP
13. Justin Lamkin: DNP
14. Felix Arronde: DNP
15. Blake Wolters: DNP
16. Steven Zobac: DNP
17. Austin Charles: DNP
18. Daniel Vazquez: 1 for 4 with a run scored for Northwest Arkansas.
19. Kamden Edge: DNP
20. Warren Calcano: DNP

 

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