Cannonballs Coming: Great but futile starts for Liz, Tarpley

The GCL Pirates were rained out.

-- Indianapolis wasted another strong start by Radhames Liz in a 1-0 loss to Louisville.  Liz gave up an unearned run in the 1st, due to his own wild throw, and ended up going seven and allowing only two hits.  He walked four and fanned seven.  Despite the walks, Liz threw 63 of 95 pitches for strikes.  Indy could do nothing against the struggling Keyvius Sampson, producing just six singles.  Elias Diaz had half the hits.  Alen Hanson was 0-4.

-- Altoona lost to Akron, 5-4.  Zack Dodson gave up all the runs in seven innings.  Josh Bell went 2-4 with his fifth HR and three RBIs.  Adam Frazier and Eric Wood each had a single and a double.  Max Moroff went 1-4 and Barrett Barnes 0-3.

-- Bradenton's game with Dunedin was suspended after six innings with the score tied, 1-1.  Felipe Gonzalez gave up the one run in five innings.  Jin-De Jhang was 2-3 with a double and Austin Meadows 1-3.

-- The West Virginia Power lost, 1-0, to Lakewood.  Stephen Tarpley (pictured) threw shutout ball over six and two-thirds innings.  He gave up four hits, walked none and fanned seven.  The Power had only four hits.  Cole Tucker was 2-4 with a double.  Connor Joe went 0-4 and is now in a 2-for-25 slump.

-- The West Virginia Black Bears beat Staten Island, 7-5.  The 2015 draftees who struggled early are gradually starting to come around for the Bears, which is why they're now two games over .500 after scuffling some initially.  There's a reason nobody with an ounce of sense writes off a high draft pick after a month, to say nothing of an entire draft class.  Kevin Newman went 3-5 in this game, with a double and two steals.  Kevin Kramer was 1-4 with a double and a steal, Logan Hill 2-3 with a double, Casey Hughston 2-4 with a double and Ty Moore 2-5.  Of the non-draftees, Danny Arribas was 3-5 with a double.  Starter Seth McGarry gave up a run on three hits and a walk in four innings.  He struck out two.

-- Bristol had a pitching meltdown in a 16-6 loss to Pulaski.  Marek Minarik and Mike Wallace combined to allow 16 runs on 17 hits in five innings.  Sandy Santos and Jordan George each went 3-5.  Santos had two doubles and George hit his second HR and drove in four.  Bealyn Chourio and Erik Lunde each went 2-4.  Trae Arbet struck out four times.