Royals Minor League Report (7/26): Roccaforte Homers Twice, Omaha Holds On In Salt Lake

Omaha edged Salt Lake 4-3 as Henry Williams struck out five over 5 1/3 innings and Elih Marrero doubled home two runs, with Justin Topa closing it out. Carson Roccaforte homered twice for Northwest Arkansas in a 9-3 loss. Michael Lombardi allowed one run in four innings for Columbia, which fell 4-3 in 10 innings. Trevor Werner homered for Quad Cities, but Emmanuel Reyes was charged with six runs in a 10-8 defeat at Beloit.

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Marrero's Two-Run Double Lifts Omaha Past Salt Lake

The Omaha Storm Chasers scored twice in the sixth inning and held on for a 4-3 win at Salt Lake.

Elih Marrero drove in both of those runs. Jack Pineda opened the sixth with a double, his second of the season, and Brandon Drury drew a two-out walk. Marrero followed with a sharp line drive double to center field that scored Pineda and Drury for a 4-2 lead. Marrero finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs batted in, and a run scored. Pineda went 2-for-3.

Gavin Cross tied the game in the fifth with his 10th home run of the season, a drive to right-center field.

Omaha opened the scoring in the third when Peyton Wilson reached on a fielding error, and Marrero came around to score.

Henry Williams worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed four hits and three runs, two of them earned, with two walks and five strikeouts. He gave up a sacrifice fly in the third and a solo home run in the fourth, and he left in the sixth with two runners on base after an error. One of them scored on a single, cutting the lead to 4-3.

Jose Cuas retired two of the three batters he faced to end the sixth. Aaron Bummer, Matt Moore, and Justin Topa then combined for three innings without allowing a run, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out four. Topa recorded his fourth save, and Williams picked up the win.

Omaha finished with seven hits, three doubles, and five walks. They struck out eight times and left nine runners on base, going just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

The Storm Chasers improved to 48-53. 

Roccaforte Homers Twice In Naturals' Loss

The Royals' No. 9 prospect homered twice, but Northwest Arkansas lost 9-3 at home.

Roccaforte tied the game in the third with his 20th home run of the season, a line drive to right field. He added his 21st with two outs in the ninth, and he finished 2-for-5 with two runs batted in and two runs scored.

Spencer Nivens put the Naturals ahead in the fourth with his eighth home run, also to right field.

Those three swings accounted for all of the Northwest Arkansas offense.

Hunter Patteson gave the Naturals four innings, allowing two hits and one earned run on a solo home run, with no walks and three strikeouts.

The game turned in the sixth, much to the Naturals' chagrin.

Grant Gambrell hit the leadoff batter, allowed back-to-back singles, then walked in the go-ahead run. A grand slam followed, and Northwest Arkansas trailed 7-2. Anthony Simonelli entered and retired the next three batters. Gambrell was charged with six runs on five hits and a walk in one inning, including two home runs, and he took the loss.

Dennis Colleran Jr. allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in the eighth. Tyson Guerrero and Zachary Cawyer each worked an inning without a run, and Roccaforte's second homer produced the game's final run. Daniel Vazquez went 2-for-4, and Nivens reached twice in four plate appearances on a home run and a walk.

The Naturals managed six hits, three of them home runs. They drew five walks, struck out nine times, and left eight runners on base, going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Northwest Arkansas is now 40-54 this season. 

Quad Cities Builds Early Lead, Then Falls At Beloit

Quad Cities scored six runs over the second and third innings, then gave all of it back in one half inning of a 10-8 loss at Beloit.

The River Bandits went ahead in the second. Jose Cerice was hit by a pitch, Tyriq Kemp walked, and Diego Guzman singled to left field, with a throwing error letting both runners score and Guzman reach third base.

The third inning was bigger. Erick Torres doubled, his fifth of the season, and No. 8 prospect Asbel Gonzalez moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. Blake Mitchell, the Royals' No. 4 prospect, singled to center field to score Torres, then stole second base, his 20th steal of the season, and scored on Cerice's single. Werner followed with his seventh home run, a two-run drive to right field that made it 6-2.

Beloit answered with seven runs in the bottom of the third.

Reyes retired the first batter, then allowed a walk, two singles, one of which drove in a run, and another walk before leaving with the bases loaded. Mason Miller gave up a grand slam, a walk, a run-scoring double, and a balk that brought home the seventh run of the inning. Miller allowed a solo home run in the fourth and finished with four runs on five hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings, taking the loss.

Reyes was charged with six runs, five earned, on four hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts.

Quad Cities added two in the seventh on Mitchell's sacrifice fly and a balk that scored Gonzalez. Nick Conte, Kamden Edge, and Yimi Presinal combined for four innings without allowing a run. Torres reached four times, going 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored, and Mitchell drove in two.

The River Bandits left three runners on base and went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The loss dropped Quad Cities to 45-47 this season. 

Fireflies Drop A 10-Inning Decision To Kannapolis

Columbia dropped the series finale 4-3 in 10 innings at home to Kannapolis.

The Fireflies tied the game and made it interesting in the third.  Angel Ramirez and Ivan Sosa walked, and Henry Ramos singled to left field to bring Ramirez home.

Columbia went ahead in the fourth on No. 5 prospect Sean Gamble's fifth home run of the season, a fly ball to right field.

Later in the inning, JC Vanek doubled, moved to third on a fly out, and scored on a wild pitch for a 3-1 lead.

Lombardi, the Royals' No. 14 prospect, started and worked four innings, allowing five hits and one earned run with no walks and two strikeouts. His two strikeouts helped him reach the 100-strikeout mark with the Fireflies this season, just the seventh pitcher in franchise history to reach that total in a season. 

The lead held into the eighth, when Coleman Picard hit the leadoff batter, struck out the next, and then gave up a single and a two-run double that tied the game 3-3. Picard finished with four innings, four hits, two earned runs, one walk, and three strikeouts.

Randy Ramnarace pitched the 10th. The zombie runner advanced to third on a leadoff single, then scored on a single to center field. Ramnarace allowed two hits and an unearned run, and he was charged with the loss.

Columbia had its own zombie runner at second base in the bottom of the 10th. Ramos was thrown out at third on No. 3 prospect Josh Hammond's fielder's choice, and Yandel Ricardo, the Royals' No. 11 prospect, grounded into a game-ending double play.

Ramos finished 2-for-5 with a run batted in, and Gamble went 2-for-4 with a home run and a run batted in.

The Fireflies collected eight hits and six walks, struck out five times, and left seven runners on base. They also went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. 

Columbia is now 50-46 this season. 

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Kendry Chourio: DNP
2. David Shields: DNP
3. Josh Hammond: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
4. Blake Mitchell: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, SB, 2 K
5. Sean Gamble: 2-for-4, HR, RBI
6. Ramon Ramirez: DNP
7. Zion Rose: DNP
8. Asbel Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB, K
9. Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI
10. Taylor Rabe: DNP
11. Yandel Ricardo: 0-for-4
12. Justin Lamkin: DNP
13. Drew Beam: DNP
14. Michael Lombardi: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
15. Jack Slightom: DNP
16. Felix Arronde: DNP
17. Angeibel Gomez: DNP
18. Ben Kudrna: DNP
19. Steven Zobac: DNP
20. Blake Wolters: DNP

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