Sunday saw Didier Fuentes turn in a strong start as well as the fun Augusta offense filling up the boxscore.
Sunday was a day for offense in the Atlanta Braves system. Three of the four teams got wins while scoring six or more runs, with Columbus being the exception. Big days from Titus Dumitru, Nick Montgomery, and Owen Carey stood out the most, along with an Ambioris Tavarez homer – however the pitching didn’t disappoint either. We saw a strong start out of Didier Fuentes, five scoreless innings from Davis Daniel, and Samuel Mejia being a mistake away from five scoreless innings himself.
Gwinnett Stripers 6, Charlotte Knights 0
- Carlos Rodriguez, RF: 2-5, R, .311/.351/.368
- Jarred Kelenic, CF: 1-4, BB, RBI, .286/.390/.400
- Davis Daniel, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 4.01 ERA
- Domingo Gonzalez, RP: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 3.32 ERA
Davis Daniel turned in five scoreless innings, scattering four hits and three walks to go with his two strikeouts before running his pitch count up to 84. He was followed by four different relievers, who went a scoreless inning apiece, and combined on the shutout victory. Michael Petersen and Austin Cox were the first two, and each allowed a base runner while combining for just one strikeout. Domingo Gonzalez allowed a pair of hits, but struck out the side. Then Wander Suero closed it out by striking out two around a walk in the ninth.
Even with no Ronald Acuna Jr., the Stripers had no issues getting the offense turned on on Sunday. Jarred Kelenic, who was one for four with a walk and a run batted in, and Carlos Rodriguez, who was two for five with a run, were among the standouts for Gwinnett. Cade Bunnell, Conner Capel, David Fletcher, and Garrett Cooper all had two-hit games, with Cooper and Bunnell adding doubles. Fletcher and Bunnell also drew walks in the win to reach base three times apiece.
Swing and Misses
Domingo Gonzalez – 6
Wander Suero – 6
Davis Daniel – 4
Austin Cox – 2
Knoxville Smokies 4, Columbus Clingstones 0
- David McCabe, 1B: 1-3, 2B, BB, .252/.390/.387
- Didier Fuentes, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 5.60 ERA
- Rolddy Munoz, RP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 2.81 ERA
Didier Fuentes got the ball and turned in five solid innings before running his pitch count up to almost 90. Fuentes allowed two runs on five hits and a pair of walks, striking out four and picking up 11 swings and misses in the process. Elison Joseph followed and struggled, giving up two runs in two thirds of an inning on a hit and two walks. Rolddy Munoz was next and went an inning and a third scoreless, picking up three strikeouts. Then Austin Smith survived a pair of walks in a scoreless eighth and final inning.
Unfortunately the Columbus offense couldn’t get started for Fuentes, getting shut out on just five hits. David McCabe was the star of the lineup, going one for three with a double and drawing the team’s lone walk. Adam Zebrowski and Stephen Paolini each added doubles, while the final two hits came from Cal Conley and Keshawn Ogans.
Swing and Misses
Didier Fuentes – 11
Austin Smith – 6
Rolddy Munoz – 6
Elison Joseph – 4
Rome Emperors 10, Greensboro Grasshoppers 6 – 10 innings
- Titus Dumitru, LF: 3-6, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, .285/.342/.417
- Bryson Horne, 1B: 2-4, HR, BB, 2 R, 3 RBI, .227/.286/.409
- Ambioris Tavarez, SS: 1-5, HR, BB, 2 R, RBI, .252/.
- Garrett Baumann, SP: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 5.66 ERA
Garrett Baumann had issues keeping the ball in the yard in this one, giving up a total of four homers in just three and a third innings. Baumann was tagged for five runs on five hits and no walks, though on the positive side he did have four strikeouts with 10 swings and misses. Isaac Gallegos followed with an inning and two thirds scoreless, then a scoreless frame from Rob Griswold and another by Tyler LaPorte to keep Rome in this game. LJ McDonough was next out of the pen, and did allow a run while picking up three strikeouts in his inning. Finally Cory Wall came on for the ninth and tenth, and didn’t allow a run, while picking up the win for Rome.
The ball was really flying out of the park in this one as the four homers Baumann allowed were nearly matched by the three that the Emperors hit. Ambioris Tavarez, Titus Dumitru, and Bryson Horne all hit solo shots in this game. Dumitru in particular had a strong game, going three for six with a pair of runs and three batted in to continue his great start to the month. Dumitru’s May slash line is an impressive .345/.381/.569 with three homers. Horne was two for four with a walk, two runs scored, and three of his own batted in, while Tavarez was one for five with a walk and two runs scored. Will Verdung and EJ Exposito each went one for four and drew two walks apiece to reach base three times in the win.
Swing and Misses
Garrett Baumann – 10
LJ McDonough – 5
Augusta GreenJackets 8, Columbia Fireflies 1
- Nick Montgomery, DH: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, .233/.324/.302
- Isaiah Drake, RF: 2-5, R, RBI, SB, .258/.333/.383
- Owen Carey, CF: 2-4, 2B, BB, R, RBI, .293/.373/.406
- Samuel Mejia, SP: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.62 ERA
- Adam Shoemaker, RP: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA
Samuel Mejia was great for five innings, giving up just a solo homer, as he allowed only three hits and no walks with four strikeouts. He was followed by Adam Shoemaker, who was equally good. Shoemaker pitched three scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out three. Another scoreless inning by Justin Long finished off the Augusta win.
The GreenJackets offense scored a pair of runs in the top of the first and didn’t look back. Once again the top of the order caused damage for Augusta as the prospect filled part of the order put up some numbers. Nick Montgomery led the way going three for five with a double and two RBI. Owen Carey went two for four with a double, walked, scored a run, and batted one in. Then Isaiah Drake went two for five with a run, RBI, and stolen base. Eric Hartman singled and drew a walk as he recorded a run and RBI. Colby Jones doubled, walked, stole a base, and scored twice. John Gil singled, walked, and scored a pair of runs plus a stolen base.
Even the bottom of the order got in on the fun as every player in the lineup had at least one hit. Mac Guscette went three for five with a triple, Luis Sanchez went three for five, and finally Mason Guerra singled and batted in a pair of runs.
Swing and Misses
Samuel Mejia – 8
Adam Shoemaker – 8