GCL Bucs throw no-hitter but lose; Dickerson drives in 8

Plenty of action on Friday.

-- Indianapolis lost to Syracuse, 5-2. Andrew Lambo drove in both runs with his twelfth AAA HR, 26th overall . . . not that the Pirates need any offense. Graham Godfrey gave up five runs in five innings to take the loss. Jared Hughes threw two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and striking out two. Ex-Pirate Mike Crotta got the save for Syracuse.

-- Alex Dickerson (pictured) drove in eight runs to lead Altoona to a 13-6 rout of New Hampshire. Dickerson went 3-6 with two doubles (giving him 28 on the year) and his 14th HR. Charlie Cutler went 3-5 and Gregory Polanco went 0-2 with four walks. Nate Baker, who'd been struggling mightily until recently out of the bullpen, made his first start and allowed only two runs, one earned, in six innings. He gave up six hits, walked none, and struck out five.

-- Bradenton pounded Brevard County, 10-2. Junior Sosa went 3-5 and six different players had two hits apiece, with Dan Gamache going 2-3 with a double, a walk and his third HR, and Carlos Mesa hitting two doubles. Stetson Allie was 2-4 with a double and a walk. Alen Hanson went 1-5 with a triple. Joely Rodriguez had his second straight scoreless outing, giving up three hits and no walks in six innings. He struck out four.

-- West Virginia beat Lexington, 4-1. John Kuchno went six innings, allowing one run on five hits and no walks. He struck out six. Luis Urena went 2-4 with a double, Walker Gourley 2-4, and Max Moroff 2-5 with three strikeouts. Dilson Herrera hit his eighth HR and went 1-5. Josh Bell went 0-4 with a walk.

-- Jamestown dropped Williamsport, 4-3. The Jammers continued to succeed simply by pounding out lots of hits, eleven in this game. Harold Ramirez went 3-5 with a double, raising his average to .345. Erich Weiss, who's been hot since he signed about two weeks ago, was elevated to the cleanup spot and went 2-4 with a double, raising his average to .372 in 13 games. Edwin Espinal went 2-4. Dovydas Neverauskas gave up three runs, two earned, in four innings on three hits and two walks. He struck out four. Justin Topa and Roberto Espinosa combined for five scoreless innings in relief.

-- The GCL Pirates started off a doubleheader by throwing eleven and two-thirds hitless innings against their parent club the Blue Jays, but gained only a split. The Bucs threw a six-inning no-hitter in game one, but lost, 1-0, on a walk, a wild pickoff throw and two groundouts. Blake Taylor started the game and allowed one walk while fanning two in three innings. Jerry Mulderig, this year's 28th round draft pick, made his pro debut with one inning and allowed the unearned run to take the loss. Oderman Rocha finished by retiring the six batters he faced. Austin Meadows went 1-2 with a walk and Reese McGuire 0-3. This was the third no-hitter involving a Pirates affiliate in the last two days.

The Bucs took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of game two and eventually won, 2-1, in nine innings. They blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the 7th by allowing another hitless run, but Enyel Vallejo won the game with his first pro HR in the top of the 9th. Cesar Pimentel faced only twelve batters in the first four innings, with the help of a GIDP that wiped out a runner who reached on an error. Former infielder Kirk Singer, who apparently has moved to the mound, followed with a 1-2-3 inning. Vallejo finished 2-3, Meadows 2-4 with a walk, and Trae Arbet 2-5. Meadows is now up to .286. McGuire went 0-3 again, but he's still hitting .395.

-- The DSL Pirates1 lost to the Phillies, 2-1, in a game that was shortened to eight innings. Christian Henriquez threw five scoreless innings allowing two hits and two walks, and striking out two. Yomifer Polanco had two hits.

-- The DSL Pirates2 scored six in the 9th to beat the Braves, 14-9. The Bucs were helped by 17 walks. Michael De La Cruz went 1-3 with a double and two walks, Edgar Figueroa 2-3 with three walks, Carlos Munoz 1-3 with three walks, and Jhoan Herrera 1-5 with a grand slam -- his first pro HR -- and a walk. Dario Agrazal gave up four runs, two earned, in five innings on five hits and a walk. He struck out seven.