Spartanburgers’ SAL Division Series Game 1 Win Leads Rangers Affiliates – Sept 10, 202
Hub City Spartanburgers Secure Game 1 Victory in SAL Division Series
Hub City 3, Bowling Green (Rays) 1
The Hub City Spartanburgers have taken a 1-0 series lead in the SAL Division Series after a 3-1 victory over the Bowling Green Hot Rods last night. The win was fueled by a collective pitching effort that limited the Hot Rods' offense.
The Spartanburgers' pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts while issuing five walks, effectively minimizing damage. The walks did not contribute to Bowling Green's single run.
- Dylan MacLean (LHP): The 2020 4th-round pick for the Rangers got the start, pitching four innings and allowing one run on three hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 52 of his 75 pitches for strikes.
- Aidan Curry (RHP): Coming out of the bullpen, Curry earned the win. He had a strong outing, striking out five batters in three innings. He gave up one hit and walked two, throwing 29 of his 48 pitches for strikes.
- Victor Simeon (RHP): Simeon pitched a scoreless inning in relief, walking two and striking out two. He threw 14 strikes out of 27 pitches.
- Adrian Rodriguez (RHP): Rodriguez slammed the door shut to earn the save. He struckout the side on 15 pitches, 9 for strikes.
The Hot Rods were the first to score in the top of the 4th inning when Angel Mateo doubled on a fly ball to left field, scoring Aidan Smith to make it 1-0.
Hub City answered in the bottom of the 5th. Shortstop John Taylor, from The Baseball Bat Bros, singled to tie the game at 1-1. Antonis Macias then hit a sacrifice fly to break the tie, giving the Spartanburgers a 2-1 lead.
The team added an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th with a single from Maxton Martin, making the final score 3-1.
Marcus Johnson took the loss for the Hot Rods, while Aidan Curry earned the win.
Frisco RoughRiders Walk-Off Northwest Arkansas
Frisco 4, Northwest Arkansas 3
Sebastian Walcott delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Frisco RoughRiders a 4-3 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Adrian Rodriguez (RHP): Rodriguez handled business in the 9th inning, striking out the side on 15 pitches, with nine strikes.
Game Breakdown
The Naturals scored first on a Carson Roccaforte home run in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Frisco tied it in the second on an RBI groundout from Keith Jones II, but Northwest Arkansas regained the lead 2-1 in the third on a wild pitch.
Justin Johnson extended the Naturals' lead in the sixth with an RBI single, but Jones II tied the game again at 3-3 with an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth.
In the ninth, Frainyer Chavez doubled off A.J. Causey (3-3). Walcott followed with a walk-off single (113 MPH Exit Velo) to left.
Wilian Bormie (1-0) earned his first Double-A win, pitching a scoreless top of the ninth before the walk-off hit.
Notes
- Walcott is on a seven-game hitting streak, batting .393 (11-for-28)/.485/.571/1.056 with a triple, home run, seven RBIs, and three steals during this span.
Daniel Missaki retired all seven batters he faced in relief, and he, along with Ryan Lobus, Joey Danielson, Avery Weems, and Bormie, combined to retire the final 11 Naturals batters.
Frisco Record: 31-32, 69-62
Express Walk-Off Space Cowboys in Extras (10) in Series Opener
Round Rock 4, Sugar Land 3
The Round Rock Express secured their 11th walk-off win of the season, beating the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 4-3 in the series opener.
The Space Cowboys took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run from Shay Whitcomb, his 23rd of the season. They extended their lead to 2-0 in the fifth when Zach Cole singled to score Jacob Melton, who had reached on a single and advanced on an error.
Round Rock got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run from Omar Narváez, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Sugar Land added another run in the eighth. After walks to Whitcomb and Chas McCormick, a successful double steal allowed Whitcomb to score, making it 3-1.
The Express battled back in the bottom of the eighth. Aaron Zavala led off with a walk and later scored on a Billy McKinney single to make it 3-2. In the bottom of the ninth, Abimelec Ortiz walked and Trevor Hauver singled. A sacrifice fly by Alan Trejo scored Ortiz to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
In the 10th, Express RHP José Ruiz retired the side in order with a strikeout and two ground balls. With Richie Martin starting the inning on second base and Billy McKinney drawing a walk, Justin Foscue delivered the game-winning single into right-center, scoring Martin for the 4-3 victory.
Round Rock Record: 35-27, 69-68
