Royals Minor League Report (7/7): Pelzer's Grand Slam Fuels River Bandits Rout

Quad Cities starter David Shields struck out seven over five innings, and Luke Pelzer's grand slam headlined a seven-run sixth in a 14-4 rout of Peoria, with Asbel Gonzalez collecting four hits and Blake Mitchell homering. Mitch Spence fanned seven for Omaha in a 5-4 loss at Louisville. Jhosmmel Zue homered for Columbia, while Chase Jessee tossed scoreless relief for Northwest Arkansas, though both clubs absorbed lopsided defeats.

Royals Transactions

• San Francisco Giants claimed RHP Eric Cerantola off waivers from Kansas City Royals.

Storm Chasers' Late Rally Falls Short In Louisville

The Omaha Storm Chasers built an early lead but could not hold it in a 5-4 loss to the Louisville Bats.

Omaha scored first in the opening inning, when Vinnie Pasquantino singled home Matthew Lugo. The Storm Chasers grabbed the lead in the second, when Gavin Cross drove a two-run homer to right-center field that scored Peyton Wilson and pushed Omaha ahead 3-2.

Louisville answered with a run in the third to tie it, then took the lead with two runs in the sixth. took the lead back in the seventh, when Lugo singled to bring in Andrew Velazquez, but the rally stalled there.

Lugo finished 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI, Pasquantino went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, and Cross drove in two. Wilson and Luca Tresh each added a double, though Omaha struck out ten times and stranded seven runners.

Starter Spence worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, walking three, and striking out seven. Génesis Cabrera took the loss after surrendering two runs in the sixth. Scott Barlow and Anthony Gose combined for two scoreless innings to finish the game, striking out three between them, but Omaha's offense could not push across the tying run.

The Storm Chasers are now 38-49 this season. 

Naturals Manage Only One Run In Wichita Blowout

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals managed only one run in a 12-1 loss to the Wichita Wind Surge.

Their lone tally came in the second inning, when Spencer Nivens tripled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Colton Becker. The offense never found a rhythm after that, finishing with five hits and stranding six runners.

Jack Pineda went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, and Carson Roccaforte, Sam Kulasingam, and Nivens each added a hit. Kulasingam's double and Nivens' triple were the Naturals' only extra-base hits, and the lineup struck out eight times while drawing just two walks. Daniel Vazquez, Connor Scott, and Alberto Rodriguez were held without a hit.

Starter Hunter Owen struggled, allowing nine runs on ten hits over 2 2/3 innings, with no walks and three strikeouts. Wichita broke the game open with five runs in the third. The Naturals bullpen offered a bright spot: Jessee followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings and two strikeouts, and Brandon Johnson added 1 2/3 scoreless frames with a strikeout, while Justin Johnson closed with a scoreless inning.

The bullpen kept the score from climbing further, but the early damage was too much to overcome. The Naturals stranded six runners and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Northwest Arkansas is now 32-48 this season. 

River Bandits Erupt For Seven-Run Sixth To Rout Peoria

The Quad Cities River Bandits broke a tight game wide open with a seven-run sixth inning on their way to a 14-4 win over the Peoria Chiefs.

Leading 3-2 entering the frame, Quad Cities strung together the rally: Jose Cerice tripled home Tyriq Kemp, Angel Acosta singled in Cerice, and Ramon Ramirez singled to bring in Acosta before Pelzer capped the inning with a grand slam that scored Gonzalez, Mitchell, and Ramirez.

The River Bandits kept pouring it on in the seventh, when Gonzalez singled home Cerice and Mitchell launched a three-run homer. Gonzalez led the way at 4-for-5 with a double, Cerice went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple, and Ramirez added two hits and two RBIs. Pelzer drove in six, and Mitchell homered with three RBIs. Leadoff man Nolan Sailors set the table by scoring three times with two walks and a stolen base.

Starter Shields set the tone by striking out seven over five innings while allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with no walks. Kamden Edge and Aiden Jimenez each turned in scoreless relief with two strikeouts apiece, and Shields' outing gave the offense plenty of room to work as Quad Cities piled up fourteen hits.

The River Bandits stranded eight runners and went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position. This victory was their fifth straight, improving their record to 38-40 this season. 

Zue's Three-Run Homer Not Enough For Fireflies

Jhosmmel Zue's three-run homer highlighted a five-run night for the Columbia Fireflies, but it was not enough in a 14-5 loss to Salem.

Columbia trailed 8-2 in the fifth when Stone Russell walked, and Henry Ramos doubled ahead of Zue, whose home run to left field cut the deficit to 8-5.

The Fireflies had scored twice in the fourth, when Zue came home on an error, and Connor Rasmussen scored on a sacrifice fly by Ivan Sosa. Salem pulled away with six runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Zue finished with a homer, three RBIs, two walks, and a stolen base. Sean Gamble went 2-for-4 with two steals, and Ramos added two hits.

Columbia drew eleven walks but left eleven runners on base, unable to string enough together against Salem. The Fireflies went two-for-eight with runners in scoring position on Tuesday. 

Starter Ryan McDonagh allowed four runs over three innings, walking one and striking out six. Henson Leal was tagged for six runs in 1 2/3 innings, while Luis Valdez and Randy Ramnarace combined for three scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Josh Hammond, Yandel Ricardo, and Angel Ramirez each drew a walk but went hitless, and the Fireflies' early deficit proved too deep despite the fifth-inning push.

With the loss, the Fireflies fall back to .500 at 41-41. 

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Kendry Chourio: DNP
2. David Shields: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (W)
3. Josh Hammond: 0-for-4
4. Blake Mitchell: 1-for-3, HR, 2 K
5. Sean Gamble: 2-for-4, 1 K
6. Ramon Ramirez: 2-for-3, 2B, 1 K
7. Drew Beam: DNP
8. Carson Roccaforte: 1-for-4
9. Asbel Gonzalez: 4-for-5, 2B
10. Yandel Ricardo: 0-for-4, 2 K
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 Vázquez: 0-for-4, 1 K
19. Kamden Edge: 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
20. Warren Calcano: 1-for-4

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