Cannonballs Coming: Wyatt Mathisen gets four hits

Indianapolis and Bristol had the day off.

-- Altoona suffered a tough loss to Portland, 9-8.  Portland took a 9-6 lead  in the top of the 9th when Jhondaniel Medina gave up three runs on two HRs.  The Curve scored two in the bottom half and had runners on second and third, but they couldn't get another run.  Starter Matt Benedict gave up six runs in four and a third innings.  Max Moroff went 3-5 with a double, a triple and three RBIs.  Jose Osuna was 2-4 and Erich Weiss 2-5 with a double.  Barrett Barnes was 1-4 with three RBIs.  It was Osuna, Weiss and Barnes, though, who failed to get the tying run home in the 9th

-- Bradenton lost to St. Lucie, 6-5, on a two-out walkoff HR in the 9th.  The Marauders had rallied to tie the game with two in the top of the 8th.  Wyatt Mathisen (pictured) went 4-4 with a double and his third HR.  Jordan Steranka also hit his third HR and Michael Fransoso went 2-4.  Austin Meadows went 1-5, Harold Ramirez 1-4 with a double and Reese McGuire 1-3.  Cody Dickson got hit hard, allowing five runs on ten hits in five innings.  He did fan six while not walking any.

-- West Virginia beat Lexington, 6-2.  Austin Coley gave up one run in seven innings on six hits and two walks.  He struck out three.  The bottom four hitters in the Power lineup -- Elvis Escobar, Chase Simpson, Francisco, Diaz and Tyler Filliben -- each had two hits, including Simpson's 11th HR.  Jordan Luplow drove in two runs with his 36th double.  Edgar Santana, recently promoted from Morgantown, struck out the side in the 9th, although he also gave up a solo HR.

-- Morgantown edged Auburn, 5-4.  Bret Helton had a good start, allowing just an unearned run on two hits and no walks in six innings.  He struck out three.  Helton left with a 2-1 lead, but Sean Keselica gave up doubles to all three of the hitters he faced.  Cecilio Pimentel allowed one inherited runner to score, but gave up no runs of his own in three innings, with four strikeouts.  Ty Moore returned to the lineup and went 2-4.  Christian Kelley had a two-run double and Ryan Nagle a two-run triple.

-- A four-run 9th-inning rally fell short as the GCL Pirates lost to the Tigers, 8-7.  The Pirates sat the top three hitters in their order, including Michael De La Cruz, who's liable to miss most or all of the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.  Paul Brands went 3-5 with a triple and Yoel Gonzalez 2-5 with three RBIs.  Victor Fernandez hit his first HR.  The Pirates drew nine walks but went 2-16 with runners in scoring position.  Starter Nicholas Economos struggled, walking four in just an inning and a third.  He was charged with four runs while giving up two hits and striking out one.

-- The DSL Pirates beat the Cubs, 3-2, in 14 innings.  Gabriel Brito hit a walkoff, two-out single after replacing the starting catcher.  Mikell Granberry went 3-5, Williams Calderon 3-6 and Melvin Jimenez 2-2.  Starter Yerry De Los Santos gave up just an unearned run in five innings.  He allowed three hits, walked none and struck out two.