Cannonballs Coming: Third-string catchers record two pitching wins

West Virginia was off.

-- Indianapolis beat Louisville in 13 innings, 3-2.  The Indians had a chance to end it in the bottom of the 11th when Alen Hanson led off with a double and Jaff Decker bunted him to third, but Keon Broxton took a third strike and Travis Snider popped out as a pinch hitter.  They won it when Hanson hit another double and Broxton brought him in with a walkoff single.  Starter Wilfredo Boscan gave up one run in five and two-thirds innings on six hits.  He walked none and struck out six.  Rob Scahill had a rough outing, retiring only two hitters, both on strikeouts, while allowing two hits, two walks and a run.  In the 13th, Indy turned again to third-string catcher Wilkin Castillo to pitch and he managed to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam to get his second win.  Hanson was 2-6 and Broxton 2-5 with a double.  Josh Bell was 0-4.

-- Altoona got hammered by Reading, 11-5.  The Curve left Matt Benedict in to give up nine runs on 14 hits over five-plus innings.*  Max Moroff went 3-5, Erich Weiss 2-4 and Adam Frazier 1-3 with two walks.  Jose Osuna hit his eighth AA HR, a three-run shot.

*I have mixed emotions about Benedict.  He's been an organizational pitcher almost from the time he was drafted, starting and relieving as needed, and pitching at levels that he didn't seem ready for.  Hence the career ERA of 4.79.  I'm always hoping not to see him pitch, but on the other hand he puts up with some serious hardship to give them innings, situations they would never subject a prospect to.  Three starts ago, they left him in to get torched for 13 hits and 12 runs.  He then bounced back to allow just one earned run in his next two starts, covering 14 innings.  Now this fiasco.  Doesn't seem fair.

-- Bradenton survived a 9th inning scare and beat Palm Beach, 8-6.  The Marauders took an 8-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th, but Isaac Sanchez left with the bases loaded and a run in, and Montana DuRapau wild-pitched in two more before getting the last out.  Starter Cody Dickson gave up two runs, both unearned, in five and two-thirds innings.  He allowed five hits, walked none and struck out three.  Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire each went 3-5, with McGuire adding a double.  Meadows is hitting 339/363/458 in the second half, after struggling for a while around mid-season.  Junior Sosa and Jordan Steranka were each 2-5, with Steranka driving in three runs.  Harold Ramirez went 1-4.

-- Morgantown fell behind 6-0 in the 1st inning, but battled back for a 13-inning, 10-9 walkoff win over Batavia.  Kevin Kramer stayed hot, going 5-8 with a triple and a two-out single to end the game.  He's now hitting .305.  Daniel Arribas went 3-5 with a triple and Erik Forgione 3-6 with a double.  Mitchell Tolman and Ty Moore each had two hits.  Logan Hill went 1-7, but the hit was his seventh HR.  Bret Helton's struggles continued, as he gave up seven runs, four earned, in two innings.  Tate Scioneaux threw three scoreless innings in relief, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out four.  He did, however, let two inherited runners score.  Julio Eusebio threw three and a third scoreless innings.  Third-string catcher Chris Harvey pitched a perfect top of the 13th to get the win.

-- Bristol lost the first game of a doubleheader to Kingsport, 4-1.  Gage Hinsz pitched well for three innings, but got knocked out with two out in the 4th.  He allowed two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out two.  The Pirates had only four hits, two by Bealyn Chourio.  Carlos Munoz was 0-3.

Bristol took the second game, 6-4.  Sandy Santos missed a chance to hit for the cycle because, in a seven-inning game won by the home team, he got only three plate appearances.  He had a double, triple and his sixth HR.  Munoz hit his 11th and Henrry Rosario his fourth.  Chourio went 2-3.  Neil Kozikowski gave up eight hits in four innings, but only two runs.  Tanner Anderson allowed four straight singles with two outs in the 7th before getting the last out.

-- The GCL Pirates dropped their eighth straight and 13th out of 15 to the Blue Jays, 1-0.  Nestor Oronel gave up one run over five innings.  Raul Siri was 2-3 with a double.  Ke'Bryan Hayes was 1-4.  The Pirates went 0-9 with runners in scoring position.