Royals Minor League Report (8/1): Shutouts, A Slam, And A Doubleheader Sweep

Henry Williams spun six scoreless innings as Omaha blanked St. Paul 4-0, with Abraham Toro and Jack Pineda supplying the home runs. Carson Roccaforte homered, and Hunter Patteson earned the win in Northwest Arkansas's 8-7 escape at Tulsa. Quad Cities swept its doubleheader behind Derlin Figueroa's six RBI, including a grand slam, while Kamden Edge and L.P. Langevin combined for four hitless innings of relief in the opener. Mason Miller added three scoreless innings in the nightcap.

Columbia's game on Saturday was postponed due to weather. They have a scheduled doubleheader on Sunday, August 2nd. 

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Williams Blanks St. Paul As Omaha Rides Two Home Runs

Omaha shut out St. Paul 4-0, and Henry Williams set the tone in the Storm Chasers' victory.

Williams started and worked six innings, allowed three hits and one walk, struck out five, and did not give up a run. That gave him a quality start, and he handed the bullpen a lead it never gave back.

Jose Cuas followed with two innings on one hit, no walks, and no runs. Justin Topa added a hitless inning with no walks.

The offense took a while to show up. Omaha went scoreless through three innings before Gavin Cross doubled and came home on a sacrifice fly from Brett Squires for a 1-0 lead.

The sixth inning provided the cushion for Omaha.

Toro reached ahead of Pineda, and Pineda drove a two-run home run to right-center field, his first of the season with the Storm Chasers, to make it 3-0.

Toro produced the last run himself two innings later with a solo home run to the same part of the park, his 19th.

Toro, hitting in the cleanup spot, finished 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Pineda also had two hits and drove in two. Cross went 1-for-4 with a double and a run. Elih Marrero hit a ground-rule double, and Stone Russell reached twice on a single and a walk.

Omaha totaled seven hits and one walk. St. Paul was held to four hits and one walk for the game. The Storm Chasers went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. They are now 51-55. 

Northwest Arkansas Holds Off A Late Tulsa Push In An 8-7 Win

Northwest Arkansas scored in four separate innings, built an 8-2 lead, and then held on for an 8-7 win at Tulsa. The Naturals finished with 13 hits, two walks, and two hit batters.

Patteson started and went five innings, giving up four hits and two runs while walking four and striking out four. He left with the lead and earned the win. Grant Gambrell followed with 3 2/3 innings, four hits, four runs, two walks, and three strikeouts. Dennis Colleran Jr. worked one-third of an inning with one hit, one run, one walk, and one strikeout for his third save.

The scoring opened with singles from Luke Pelzer and Roccaforte, and Pelzer came around on a force out. Justin Johnson stretched it the next inning with a two-run home run, his fourth, that also scored Connor Scott.

The third inning was the difference. Colton Becker singled, Roccaforte followed with a two-run home run to center field, his 24th, and Scott singled home Daniel Vazquez.

A fourth run crossed before the inning ended for a 7-2 lead. Canyon Brown drove in Vazquez again two innings later with a single to center field.

Scott led the game at 3-for-4 with a walk and one RBI. Vazquez went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, and a hit by pitch. Becker and Roccaforte each collected two hits. Northwest Arkansas struck out 14 times as a team, so the 13 hits had to carry it.

Quad Cities Piles Up Ten Runs In The Doubleheader Opener

Quad Cities scored in all six innings it batted and beat Dayton 10-4 in the opener of a doubleheader. The River Bandits piled up 13 hits.

David Shields started and gave up eight hits and four runs across three innings. He issued no walks and struck out five, and one of the hits was a home run. The bullpen took over from there. Edge threw two hitless innings with one walk and three strikeouts to earn the win. Langevin matched that with two hitless innings, three walks, and four strikeouts. Dayton did not record another hit after Shields was done.

The first inning got the River Bandits off to a winning start.

Nolan Sailors, Asbel Gonzalez, and Blake Mitchell all got on base. Derlin Figueroa singled in Sailors, and Jose Cerice brought Gonzalez home on a force out. Mitchell singled in Diego Guzman the next inning, and a fly ball from Chris Brito accounted for another run.

The River Bandits kept up the pressure on the Dragons in the middle of the game.

Erick Torres singled, Pedro Roque tripled him in, and Guzman singled home Roque. An inning after that, Mitchell singled, Brito reached on an error, and Figueroa and Cerice delivered back-to-back RBI singles. Brito later doubled home Sailors, and Gonzalez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Cerice for the final run.

Figueroa and Cerice each went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Mitchell was 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run. Gonzalez reached three times on one hit and two hit by pitches, and he scored twice.

Figueroa Grand Slam Powers Quad Cities In The Nightcap

Quad Cities finished the doubleheader sweep with a 7-1 win over Dayton, and the first inning settled it. Tyriq Kemp, Asbel Gonzalez, and Mitchell singled to load the bases, and Figueroa cleared them with a grand slam to right field, his 21st home run of the season.

The River Bandits kept going the next inning. Angel Acosta doubled and scored on a double by Gonzalez, and Mitchell followed with a single that brought Gonzalez home for a 6-0 lead. Jose Cerice added a solo home run, his third, later in the game.

Miller started and gave Quad Cities three innings without a run, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out two. Dash Albus worked two innings, gave up three hits and one run, walked nobody, and struck out four to earn the win. The only run charged to him came on a home run. Tommy Molsky added two innings on one hit, no walks, and no runs.

Gonzalez finished 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs. Mitchell went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Figueroa drove in all four of his runs on the one swing, and Cerice reached twice on a hit and a walk. Quad Cities managed just eight hits, but seven of them came in the first two innings and produced six runs.

Dayton was limited to six hits and one run. Quad Cities pitchers walked two and struck out seven, and the defense behind them did not make an error. The River Bandits stranded five runners on base and went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. With the two wins, they are back over .500 at 49-48. 

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Kendry Chourio: DNP
2. David Shields: 3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
3. Josh Hammond: DNP
4. Blake Mitchell: Game 1: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, K; Game 2: 2-for-4, RBI, K
5. Sean Gamble: DNP
6. Ramon Ramirez: DNP
7. Zion Rose: DNP
8. Asbel Gonzalez: Game 1: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 HBP, K; Game 2: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K
9. Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
10. Taylor Rabe: DNP
11. Yandel Ricardo: DNP
12. Justin Lamkin: DNP
13. Drew Beam: DNP
14. Michael Lombardi: DNP
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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