A

Raptors 14 — Mudcats 11: The Raptors had a close call against the Mudcats on May 14 but emerged with the 14-11 win after a dramatic triple play ended a Mudcats’ rally in the fifth inning. Having already scored one run in the inning and with the bases loaded and no outs, the Mudcats were in position to take the lead when Raptors catcher Ryan Barrett caught a pop up and then threw to third baseman C.T. Dodge, who stepped on third and chased down the runner at second for the triple play. The Raptors’ Khavren Hoyer was outstanding in the field, pitching in the first inning and playing third base in the second and making crucial outs in both positions.

AA

Riverdogs 16 — Lugnuts 4: Great pitching and fielding by the Riverdogs’ Dylan Galt held the Lugnuts scoreless in the first three innings. The Riverdogs showed up with their bats, using strong hitting by Paul Pacheko, Matt Hoskin and Lowell Weissman to spark their offense. The Lugnuts rallied in the bottom of the fourth inning, with hits and RBI by Connor Freeman, Evan Rusk, Aiden Hill and Joe Andres. Riverdogs catcher Dimitri Rike made a good play on an attempted steal of home to energize the Riverdogs’ defense. Closer Zach Christopher retired the last batter with a strikeout to end the game.

Storm 15 — Sand Gnats 7: The Storm’s Lou Lindsay pitched a three-up and three-down first inning, setting the stage for a 15-7 victory over the Sand Gnats on May 15. The Sand Gnats made a valiant effort in the fourth inning with a strong rally, only to fall short in the end. Sand Gnats pitcher Carter May made an excellent fielding play to end the Storm’s offensive effort in the third inning. Ben Sharrer became the first Storm player of the season to successfully steal home, a feat he repeated later in the game. Storm slugger David Gartner hit a double in the second and teammate Liam Strobel lent support on defense, as he snagged a pop-up in the third inning. Relief pitcher Jack Foster gave a determined and focused performance in a tough fourth inning, sealing the win for the Storm.

Storm 11 — Rockhounds 4: The Storm and the Rockhounds met under perfect weather conditions for an exciting and intense game on May 17. In the first inning the Storm defense was anchored by Ben Sharrer and Tommy Ritter, who combined to make a key out at first base. At the plate, the Storm’s Noah Galvin went all the way to third on a bunt, followed by Kaylyn Truesdale’s RBI-hit, giving the Storm a strong start. Jack Gieseler took the mound in the second inning, throwing three consecutive strikeouts to hold back the Rockhounds’ scoring effort. Anthony Cantanio hit a solid double in the third inning and Galvin made a tough snag on a hard-hit ball to centerfield, after which he doubled the runner off second base.

The Rockhounds staged a late-game rally, as cheering fans came to their feet on a home run by Louis Klarfeld. Annika Freese also blasted a triple in the fifth inning. But, in the end, it was the steady effort by the Storm that produced the win.

AAA

Cardinals 5 — Mets 1: The Cardinals beat the Mets 5–1 on Saturday, May 17. All three Cardinals pitchers contributed strong performances, including Logan Nesson, who struck out six batters over three innings, while adding a put-out at first base in the opening inning. Annie Ferguson shut down the Mets in the fourth and fifth innings, striking out five of the six batters she faced. Brandt Cole closed, striking out two batters in the sixth inning. The Cardinals’ bats were hot, with nine batters accounting for 13 hits, including Nesson and Thomas Beddow, each with a single and a double, and Cole and Mike Maggio each adding two singles. Three Cards caught long fly balls in the outfield, including Jake Deeley, Christopher Markus and Drew Turner.

For the Mets, Johnny Peterson hit two singles and added some fine pitching, striking out four Cardinals.

MAJORS

Orioles 8 — Cubs 7: It took nine innings to decide the game between the Cubs and Orioles on Saturday, May 17. The Orioles prevailed with three runs in the bottom of the ninth, capped off by a game-winning RBI single by Alex Handley. Handley also started on the mound for the O’s, giving up three runs on one hit and three errors with three walks and seven strikeouts.

Tied at 4-4 after the regulation six innings, the Cubs’ Will Iacobucci lead off the eighth with a double and scored to take give his team a one run lead. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the O’s Tim Donis hit a solo home run to tie the game and force the ninth inning. Iacobucci delivered again for the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI single to finish a 14-pitch at-bat against O’s reliever Vijay Menon. Wes Coupard and Ryan Leonard both scored in the inning to give the Cubs a two-run advantage.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, O’s William Merchant and Tyler Waters each hit the ball hard to reach base. Merchant scored on a single by Will Bernicke. Waters scored on a single by Vijay Menon before the game-winning hit by Handley.

A’s 11 — Cubs 10: The A’s won a tough offensive defensive struggle over the Cubs, as both teams capitalized on their own good hitting and occasional fielding lapses by their opponents.

For the A’s, Aidan Fitzpatrick, Brent Clarke and David Mathis scored two runs each, with Mathis also turning in a good performance on the mound. Will Iaccobucci, David McAllister and Wes Coupard had big hits for the Cubs and starter Austen Adcock did a great job on the mound.

Mason District Cubs 8 — A’s 7: The A’s played one of their better all-around games of the season on Saturday, May 17, only to give up three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to lose a heartbreaker. Patrick Evans and Maggie Goldsmith combined to limit the Cubs to two earned runs, and both contributed at the plate as well, with Evans crushing a home run and Goldsmith blasting a long RBI-double. Matthew Ledder ripped a triple and Dakota Ruiz rapped out a double, as the A’s pounded the ball all day. Zach Woerhle made a jaw-dropping diving catch to steal a hit away from the Cubs, but the A’s defense couldn’t quite make it hold up.

Red Sox 5 — Yankees 0: Red Sox pitcher Brennan Jones allowed only two hits as he pitched a complete-game shutout to lead the Sox to a 5-0 win over a tough Yankees squad on May 14. Yankees pitcher Jon Strader also turned in a fine performance over six innings, but a combination of Red Sox hits and fielding miscues by the Yanks gave the victory to the Sox. The Red Sox’ offense was led by Richard Marsh, Lucas Cherry and Stevie Lethbridge. With the Yankees unwilling to go quietly, the Sox defense did its part, with especially strong play at first by Cherry, as well as Drew Spera at second base, Richard Marsh at shortstop and Austin Clark behind the plate.

Red Sox 6 — Mason District Phillies 4: In another of the inter-league games against a team from Mason District, the Sox recorded their second straight victory, winning 6-4 over a determined Phillies team. Starting pitcher Richard Marsh turned in a strong performance for the Sox, with relievers Dalton Marsh and Beau Butts coming in to secure the victory. Richard Marsh contributed a triple, with Butts, Lucas Cherry and Drew Spera delivering key RBI hits.