Gavin Stome and Zach Root have positive starts

OKC Comets 6 – Salt Lake City Bees (LAA) 3 

RHSP Gavin Stone was pitching in his 1st game since August 31, 2024.  He struck out the 1st batter he faced and got a routine ground ball off the 2nd batter.  However, SS Hyeseong Kim made a very poor throw to 1B for an error. It was a routine ground ball that it appeared (to me) was just a lazy throw with nothing behind it. Okay, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say it slipped out of his hand.  The next batter hit a ground ball single into RF sending the runner to 3rd.  Stone got the next batter to hit a ground ball to 3B Alex Freeland who threw a strike to 2B Austin Gauthier at 2nd who turned the DP.  

In the OKC 2nd, 1B Ryan Ward walked and scored when Kim tripled.  With Kim on 3rd and running on contact, DH Ryan Fitzgerald hit a high bouncer back to the pitcher who threw home, but Kim was able to avoid the tag until Fitzgerald got to 2nd where he was left stranded. 

Stone came back out for his 2nd inning.   He made a great 1-2 pitch to batter who hit a chopper to 1st base that hit the front of the bag and popped to Gauthier at 2B.  But 1B Ward was watching the play and did not cover 1B.  I doubt that they get the batter, but we will never know.    Stone struck out the next two batters.  He reached 33 pitches so was lifted for LHRP Ronan Kopp.  On an 0-2 pitch, he threw a pitch waaaaay over the head of the catcher for a WP.  If C Eliézer Alfonzo was 8’ tall he would not have caught the pitch.  On the next pitch, the batter singled the runner home to tie the score.  

Kopp went out to pitch the 3rd.  He allowed a leadoff single.  The runner moved to 2nd on a groundout and stole 3B.  The next batter singled to score the runner.  The batter was thrown out at 2nd on a 9-3-6-3 putout.  RHRP Jerming Rosario came in to get the 3rd out.  Rosario would pitch a scoreless 4th. 

RHRP Ben Casparius entered in the 5th.  He allowed 2 singles to lead off.  On a groundout, the runners moved to 2nd and 3rd.  Casparius balked the run in and a SLC 3-1 lead. 

In the top of the 7th, Fitzgerald was HBP and Alfonzo singled.  Both runners moved up on a WP.  Fitzgerald scored on a groundout with Alfonzo moving to 3rd.  Freeland singled home the tying run. 

In the 8th, RF James Tibbs III walked and Ward singled.  Kim singled for his 2nd RBI hit.  Ward moved up to 3rd and Kim took 2nd on the throw home.  Both runners scored on Fitzgerald’s oppo double off the LF wall. 

On the pitching side, LHRP Charlie Barnes pitched three scoreless innings. 

RHRP Seth Halvorsen came in for the save in the 9th.  He was topping 100 on his 4-seamer, but he did not have good command.  His slider was his swing and miss pitch.  Nelson Rada bunted on Halvorsen and Halvorsen threw it away with Rada reaching 2nd on an infield hit E-1.  He struck out the next two, and walked a batter.   

Halvorsen threw a WP before striking out the batter on a whiff of a 3-2 slider for the save.

·      Alex Freeland – 2-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI,

·      Hyeseong Kim – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI

·      Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI 

Freeland also made a fantastic defensive play at 3B that I cannot find…yet.

Box Score 

Tulsa Drillers 9 – Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston) 3 

Before I turned on the OKC game to watch Gavin Stone, I watched LHSP Zach Root make his 2nd AA start.  This one went much better than the 1st.  He retired the first 6 batters he faced, 3 on K.  In the 3rd he gave up a solo HR to lead off the inning, but then struck out the side.  He gave up a leadoff single in the 4th, got the next two batters, but the runner on first was thrown out attempting to steal 3rd.  

In the 5th, back-to-back doubles to open the inning for 1 run, and then a 2-out single for the 2nd run and a 3-2 lead. 

Zach retired the side in order in the 6th, the last out being his 10th K.  I know Badger does not like the threshold of three runs for a quality start, but Zach pitched 6.0 innings, allowing 3 runs, on 5 hits, 0 BB, and 10, and his 1st AA quality start.  He threw 93 pitches, 62 for strikes.  

Zach’s 4-seamer was sitting at 95 and reached 97.  His slider and change were good.  His delivery is very deceptive.  He hides the ball very well and a slight turn of the back on his delivery to the plate.  It was a good game for Root in AA in his first season professionally. 

On the other side, Tulsa got the scoring started in the 1st inning when CF Mike Sirota crushed a solo HR, his 10th with Tulsa.  

In the 5th, 2B Sam Mongelli hit his 3rd HR for a temporary lead. 

In the 7th, Mongelli walked, as did DH Josue De Paula and Sirota to load the bases.  After the 2nd out, 1B Jake Gelof came up and unloaded a grand slam for a 6-3 lead.  

Tulsa scored three more in the 8th.  C Frank Rodriguez led off with a solo HR (8).  RF Chris Newell walked, stole 2nd and moved to 3rd on an errant catcher’s throw into CF.  SS Jose Izarra walked but was forced at 2B by Mongelli.  JDP walked to load the bases.  The next two batters, Sirota and 3B Logan Wagner both walked to score 2 more.  

A BB and 2 singles off LHRP Evan Shaw gave the Hooks another run.  

·      Mike Sirota -3-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (14), HR (10)

·      Frank Rodriguez – 4-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (8)

·      Jake Gelof – 1-5, 1 run, 4 RBI, HR (21)

·      Sam Mongelli – 1-4, 1 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, HR (3) 

Box Score 

Dayton Dragons (Reds) 8 – Great Lakes Loons 2 

LHP Jacob Frost returned to starter with his first start since May 12.  It did not go well.  In 2.1 IP he gave up 6 runs (all earned) on 5 hits and 5 BB, with just 1 K.  Four relievers kept the game in check with just 2 runs (1 earned) in a combined 5.2 IP.  They allowed 6 hits and 3 BB.  One of the hits was a solo HR.  This game was kept in check due to Dayton hitting 3-20 wRISP. 

SS Emil Morales hit his 15th HR for the Loons 1st run in the 4th. 

C Gio Cueto homered (1) for the 2nd run. 

Besides the 2 solo HRs: 

·      Charles Davalan – 2-4, 1 BB, double (26)

·      Jaron Elkins – 2-4, double (2)

·      Eduardo Quintero – 1-3, 2 BB, double (22) 

Elkins has continued to hit since he was promoted to Great Lakes. 

Box Score 

Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego) 5 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 2 

RHSP Luis Gamez completed 5.o IP, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 2 BB, and 1 K.  The one run was a solo HR in the 3rd to tie the game. 

Ontario scored first in the 1st inning.  SS Aidan West hit his 1st double and scored on a single by LF Ching-Hsien Ko. 

With one out in the 6th, CF Brendan Tunink walked.  With 2 outs, C Connor O’Neal singled Tunink to 3rd.  Tunink scored on RF Javier Herrera’s single. 

Just activated UDFA LHRP Ian May gave up a tying solo HR in the bottom of the 6th. 

Inland Empire took the lead in the 7th without a hit from RHRP Luis Carias.  A BB, HBP, BB, and HBP scored a run to break the tie. 

Two more walks from Carias scored on a 2-run double.  

·      Aidan West – 3-3, 1 run, double (1)

·      Ching-Hsien Ko – 2-4, double (15)

·      Javier Herrera – 3-4, 1 RBI, double (9) 

Box Score