Royals Minor League Report (7/30): Wolters shines in River Bandits victory

Blake Wolters turned in a quality start, and Quad Cities beat Dayton 8-4 for the system's only win of the night. Erick Torres and Jose Cerice each collected two hits. Ryan Ramsey allowed four runs in Omaha's 4-1 loss, though Scott Barlow followed with 2 2/3 hitless innings. Drew Beam surrendered nine runs in Northwest Arkansas' 9-3 defeat. Moises Amezquita worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings for Columbia, which fell 15-3, while Ivan Sosa doubled twice.

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Storm Chasers Held To Three Hits In 4-1 Loss To St. Paul

The Omaha Storm Chasers were held to three hits Thursday night at Werner Park, falling 4-1 to St. Paul.

Ramsey took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Almost all of the damage arrived before he had settled in. A three-run homer to left field in the top of the first put St. Paul ahead 3-0, and a wild pitch in the third made it 4-0. Ramsey did not allow another run after that, and the Storm Chasers bullpen kept the deficit where it was.

The veteran Barlow followed with 2 2/3 hitless innings, walking one and striking out two. Dan Altavilla worked a hitless ninth. Omaha pitching combined for eight strikeouts.

The only Omaha run came in the fifth inning.

Drew Waters opened the inning with a single to left, Luca Tresh singled him to second, and Alejo Lopez walked to load the bases. Gavin Cross then lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Waters and moved Tresh to third, but a strikeout stranded two runners and ended the threat. Cross' six-game home run streak came to an end on Thursday. 

Waters finished 1-for-3 with a walk and the club's only run. Abraham Toro and Tresh had the other two hits. The Storm Chasers struck out 13 times and left five runners on base.

Six-Run Third Sinks Naturals In 9-3 Loss At Tulsa

A six-run third inning sank Northwest Arkansas on Thursday night at ONEOK Field, where the Naturals dropped a 9-3 decision to Tulsa.

Beam, the Royals' No. 13 prospect, took the loss after allowing nine runs on 10 hits over 2 2/3 innings. The former Tennessee product did not walk a batter and struck out four, but he gave up two home runs in the third, turning a 3-0 game into a 9-0 game. Beam was pulled with two outs in the inning, his ERA inflating to 7.13.

Four relievers held the line the rest of the way, combining for 5 1/3 scoreless innings on four hits with eight strikeouts. Oscar Rayo allowed one hit over two innings. Tyson Guerrero struck out three across 1 1/3 innings, and Anthony Simonelli fanned four over 1 2/3 innings. Dennis Colleran Jr. recorded the final out of the seventh.

Jorge Alfaro put Northwest Arkansas on the board with a leadoff homer, his 11th, in the fifth. The Naturals added a run in the seventh when Omar Hernandez singled, Alfaro walked, and Justin Johnson lined a single to center to bring Hernandez home. Sam Kulasingam and Spencer Nivens opened the eighth with back-to-back singles, and Daniel Vazquez grounded out to third to score Kulasingam.

Johnson finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Alfaro reached base twice with the homer and a walk. Carson Roccaforte, the Royals' No. 9 prospect, drew two walks. Northwest Arkansas managed six hits and left eight runners on base.

Wolters and Torres Lead River Bandits Past Dayton, 8-4

Wolters, the Royals' No. 20 prospect, turned in a Quality Start, and Quad Cities scored in four separate innings, beating Dayton 8-4 on Thursday night at Modern Woodmen Park.

Wolters earned the win, working six innings and allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He carried a 4-0 lead into the fifth before a three-run homer trimmed it to 4-3, then came back out and worked a scoreless sixth to finish his night.

Rob Hensey followed with two innings, allowing one run on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts, and Yimi Presinal closed it out with a scoreless ninth.

The River Bandits went to work immediately. Asbel Gonzalez singled with one out in the first, Jose Cerice singled him home, and after a Derlin Figueroa walk, Erick Torres singled to left to make it 2-0. Figueroa doubled the lead in the third with his 20th homer, a two-run shot to right-center that also scored Blake Mitchell.

The sixth broke the game open. Cerice walked and stole second, Torres tripled him in, Hyungchan Um, recently called up from Low-A Columbia, doubled home Torres, and Tyriq Kemp singled home Um for a 7-3 lead. Mitchell walked to open the seventh and scored on a Figueroa sacrifice fly.

Torres finished 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and two RBI. Cerice went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk. Figueroa drove in three. Mitchell walked twice and scored twice.

Fireflies Buried Early In 15-3 Loss At Augusta

Columbia never recovered from a five-run first inning and lost 15-3 at Augusta on Thursday night.

Jose Gutierrez took the loss, allowing eight runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings with four walks, three strikeouts, and two home runs. Augusta sent eight men to the plate in the first, capped by a grand slam, and added a two-run homer in the second and a run in the fourth before Gutierrez was lifted.

Amezquita was the exception out of the bullpen, working 2 2/3 scoreless innings on two hits with no walks and four strikeouts. The rest of the relief corps could not find the plate. Jhon Reyes, Brandon Herbold, and Gabriel Silva combined to walk nine over two innings as Augusta scored three in the seventh and four in the eighth, with five of those runs walked or hit in.

Ivan Sosa carried what offense there was, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. He doubled in the fifth and came around to score on an error, then doubled home Roni Cabrera and Connor Rasmussen in the ninth for the final margin.

Josh Hammond, the Royals' No. 3 prospect, reached three times on a single and two walks. No. 11 prospect Yandel Ricardo, Jhosmmel Zue, JC Vanek, and Angel Ramirez each added a hit. Columbia finished with seven hits and left eight runners on base.

Top-20 Prospect Performance

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

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