Royals Minor League Report (5/24): Squires, Ricardo, And Nivens Headline A Busy Night For The Royals Farm

Brett Squires drove a home run and double for Omaha in a 5-3 win at St. Paul, supported by Ryan Ramsey's five strong innings on the mound. Spencer Nivens crushed two home runs as Northwest Arkansas split a pair with Amarillo, while Frank Mozzicato struck out eight in his start. Ramon Ramirez homered for Quad Cities in a loss. In Augusta, Yandel Ricardo drove in four runs, and Darwin Rodriguez worked five innings for Columbia.

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Storm Chasers Ride Squires And Rojas Power To 5-3 Win At St. Paul

Squires powered Omaha with two extra-base hits and two runs scored, helping the Storm Chasers down the host St. Paul Saints, 5-3. The former Oklahoma product finished 2-for-4 with a double in the second inning and a solo home run, his fifth of the season, in the sixth.

Gavin Cross had three hits, including a double and an RBI, and Josh Rojas led off with a solo home run, his sixth, in the third inning. John Rave added a pair of hits, including an RBI single, and Abraham Toro drove in a run.

After St. Paul jumped ahead in the first, Omaha answered in the top of the second. Luca Tresh drew a one-out walk, and Squires followed with a double. Abraham Toro then singled to plate Tresh, and Gavin Cross lined a single to right to bring home Squires, putting Omaha up 2-1. Rojas extended the lead with his solo shot in the third.

Ramsey worked five innings, allowing one run on four hits with three walks, six strikeouts, and one home run to pick up his third win.

Anthony Gose tossed a scoreless sixth with a walk and no strikeouts. Ben Sears gave up two runs in the eighth on a two-run home run before Beck Way closed the door with 1 1/3 hitless innings and two strikeouts to earn his first save. Omaha left six runners on base.

Naturals' Bullpen Crumbles In 17-5 Loss At Amarillo

Jorge Alfaro's three-hit night was not enough as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals fell to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, 17-5, in a lopsided road defeat.

Alfaro, hitting cleanup, went 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Omar Hernandez added three hits of his own, including a double and a run scored, while Connor Scott went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Daniel Vazquez chipped in with a double and a walk, and Justin Johnson and Sam Kulasingam each tacked on RBI singles in the ninth.

The decisive frame came in the bottom of the second. Hunter Owen had given Northwest Arkansas a 1-0 lead to defend after Connor Scott's RBI single in the top of the inning, but Amarillo posted four runs against the right-hander, taking a 4-1 lead they would never relinquish. The Sod Poodles tacked on five more runs in the sixth and seven in the seventh against the Naturals' bullpen.

Hunter Owen took the loss after working three innings, allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Caden Monke surrendered one run in two innings of relief. Chase Jessee allowed five runs while recording only two outs, and Andrew Morones gave up seven runs on seven hits in his one inning, including three home runs. Brandon Johnson finished with a scoreless 1 1/3 innings. Northwest Arkansas stranded eight runners and committed one error.

Nivens Hits Two Homers To Lift Naturals Past Amarillo, 8-6

Spencer Nivens crushed two home runs and drove in four to lead the Northwest Arkansas Naturals past the Amarillo Sod Poodles, 8-6. Nivens went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, his third of the season, and a two-run shot, his fourth, for four total RBIs.

Vazquez and Jack Pineda each had two hits, with Pineda adding a solo home run in the second inning and a stolen base. Roccaforte led off and scored twice, and Canyon Brown and Johnson each delivered an RBI hit.

The Naturals broke the game open in the top of the fifth.

With Pineda on after his single, Brown lined an RBI single to center, and Johnson followed with a double. After Roccaforte reached on a fielder's choice, Nivens launched a three-run home run to left center to give Northwest Arkansas a 5-0 lead. After Amarillo answered with three in the bottom half and later tied the score at 6-6, Spencer Nivens belted his second home run, a two-run shot, in the seventh to put the Naturals ahead for good.

Mozzicato took the start and worked 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits with three walks, eight strikeouts, and a home run. Augusto Mendieta surrendered three runs in one inning of work. Oscar Rayo closed it out with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief, no walks, and no strikeouts to earn his second win. Northwest Arkansas left only three runners on base.

River Bandits Fall To Beloit, 8-2, Despite Ramirez's Home Run

The Quad Cities River Bandits managed just two runs at home, falling to the Beloit Sky Carp, 8-2.

Catcher Ramirez supplied both runs with a two-run home run, his seventh of the season, that scored Asbel Gonzalez. Gonzalez had a productive night otherwise, going 2-for-4 from the second spot in the lineup. Tyriq Kemp drew two walks, while Nolan Sailors, Jose Cerice, and Connor Rasmussen each chipped in with a hit.

The game tilted away from Quad Cities early. Beloit struck for three runs in the second inning against starter Blake Wolters and tacked on two more in the fourth inning before Ramirez's home run cut into the lead in the bottom of the same frame. The Sky Carp added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to push the score out of reach.

Wolters took the loss after working 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, all earned, on three hits with four walks, four strikeouts, and one home run. Cory Ronan got the Bandits through the rest of the fourth without further damage. Mason Miller followed and surrendered three runs over 2 2/3 innings. L.P. Langevin tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout, and Yimi Presinal closed with one scoreless inning of one-hit work, one strikeout, and no walks. Quad Cities stranded seven runners.

Fireflies Drop A Pitcher's Duel To Augusta, 2-1

The Columbia Fireflies came up just short in a tight battle, dropping the game 2-1 to the Augusta GreenJackets on the road. Sean Gamble led the offense with a 2-for-3 effort that included a double, and Brooks Bryan went 2-for-3 with the lone Columbia RBI. Connor Rasmussen also added a double, and Daniel Lopez collected a single along with a stolen base. The Fireflies were limited to six hits in total.

Columbia broke through in the fourth inning. With one out, Gamble singled and moved into scoring position before Bryan singled him home to tie the game at 1-1.

The Fireflies could not extend their lead, however, and Augusta pushed across the deciding run in the bottom of the sixth on a single that came across with the help of a Columbia error in center field.

Michael Lombardi opened with four innings of work, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Henson Leal followed with two innings of relief and absorbed the loss, giving up one unearned run on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Columbia stranded just three runners and committed three errors on the night, leaving little margin for error in a game decided by a single play in the late innings.

Ricardo Drives In Four As Fireflies Top Augusta, 8-5

Yandel Ricardo drove in four runs, and Josh Hammond scored three times to lift the Columbia Fireflies to an 8-5 win over the Augusta GreenJackets on the road.

Ricardo went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, four RBIs, and a walk. Hammond added a triple, an RBI, three runs scored, two stolen bases, and a walk. Jhosmmel Zue chipped in with a 2-for-4 line, an RBI single, and a stolen base, and Sean Gamble reached three times via hit, walk, and stolen base.

Columbia jumped ahead in the first inning. Ramos reached on an error, and Gamble singled. A Hammond ground ball forced Gamble at second, but Ramos came around to score on a throwing error. After Hyungchan Um walked, Ricardo lined a two-RBI double to put Columbia up 3-0.

The Fireflies tacked on two in the fifth on Hammond's RBI triple and a Ricardo sacrifice bunt that scored Hammond. They added three more in the seventh when Ricardo launched a two-run home run, his third, and Jhosmmel Zue singled home Stone Russell.

Rodriguez worked five innings to earn the win, allowing one unearned run on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Yeri Perez gave up two runs in one inning of relief, including a home run, with no walks and one strikeout. Randy Ramnarace was charged with two earned runs while failing to record an out, walking three, and surrendering one hit. Max Martin then recorded the final three outs with two strikeouts to earn his first save. Columbia left seven on base and committed three errors.

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Kendry Chourio: DNP
2. David Shields: DNP
3. Sean Gamble: 3-for-6, 2B, BB, SB, 2 R
4. Blake Mitchell: DNP
5. Josh Hammond: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI, BB, 2 SB, 3 R
6. Ramon Ramirez: 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, R
7. Drew Beam: DNP
8. Asbel Gonzalez: 2-for-4, R, K
9. Ben Kudrna: DNP
10. Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-8, 2 R, 4 K
11. Yandel Ricardo: 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB, R, K
12. Felix Arronde: DNP
13. Blake Wolters: L, 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, HR
14. Michael Lombardi: 4 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 5 K
15. Luinder Avila: DNP
16. Steven Zobac: DNP
17. Frank Mozzicato: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, HR
18. Daniel Vazquez: 3-for-7, 2B, BB, SB, 2 R, 3 K
19. Warren Colcano: DNP
20. Shane Panzini: DNP

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