Week of April 1st to 6th
Albuquerque Coyotes 4-2, 2nd
@ Missouri Blues W 6-1, W 9-0, W 8-5
@ Dodge City Gunslingers L 3-4, W 8-5, L 1-7
It was a comfortable start to the 2043 at Triple-A as Coyotes swept the Blues in three straight games. Albuquerque were always ahead in game one, but a three-run homer in the fifth by Ricardo Tavares set the seal on a win on opening day. Ramon Guerrero in his first start at Triple-A took the win, pitching seven innings, allowing seven hits and just one run. In the second game Coyotes were once more always ahead but perhaps flattered a bit by two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. Chris Jenkins, Aviators top positional prospect, hit a triple in the ninth driving in two runs as he went 2-4, scoring three times and driving two runs in. Taito Kimmonen, fresh from six months off with a torn labrum, pitched into the ninth innings giving up just three hits. Down 3-1 after two innings, the Coyotes tied it up in the third and Guillaume Martin’s 3-run homer in the seventh blew the game open as Albuquerque secured their first sweep of 2043. Lead-off man Aloisio Prudente went 2-5 including his first homer at this level.
Coyotes blew the first game of the Dodge City series, up 3-0 after five, they allowed the Gunslingers to score one in the sixth & seventh before winning it with two in the eighth. Chris Jenkins went 3-4, scoring once while John Antill’s seven good innings of 2-run pitching was wasted by Miguel Morales who gave up two runs in his one inning of work. Five hits by the Gunslingers in the third innings gave them a 4-1 lead before Coyotes grabbed five hits of their own in the fifth which helped them to a 5-5 score line after five innings. A couple of Dodge City errors in the ninth gave Albuquerque the chance to run home three runs and earn their fifth win of 2043. Jenkins again had a good game going 3-5 with a run and an RBI while Wally Poole went 2-5 with three RBI and a run. Former Aviators bullpen man Sancho Torres, sent down to Triple-A to start 2043, took the win after pitching 1.1 innings. The final game was blown open in the fourth when Ramon Guerrero gave up six runs on six hits.
Pitcher of week: 24-yr-old Starter Taito Kimmonen pitched 8.1 innings on his one start, allowing three hits and nothing else. A great start back from long-term injury.
Batter of the week: 21-yr-old Chris Jenkins who in his first full season in Triple-A opened up in six games hitting .480/.500/.600 including a double & triple. He scored six times and drove five runs in.
Columbus Brown Sox 3-3, 5th
@ Memphis Chicks W 7-2, W 13-4, L4-5, W 10-3
Vs Duluth Dragons L6-7, L 6-9
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The season opened for Columbus on April 2nd with a double header. Eight men batted in the third for the Brown Sox to give them a 4-0 lead and when Stephen Chavez hit Columbus’ first homer of 2043, a 2-run shot followed by back to back doubles in the sixth the game was done. Daniel Mares led off the nightcap with a solo shot and Columbus never looked back. Leading 2-0 mid-first, Memphis twice got to within one run before a 3-run homer by Bill Burke in the sixth took the game away from the home team. He added a 2-run homer in the eighth as Brown Sox scored three in the eighth and four in the ninth to confirm winning the day’s both games. Both Mares & Burke finished with five RBI and Jose Lopez pitched into the ninth to claim his first Double-A win despite allowing three walks and four runs. In the third game of the series, three runs by the Chicks in the bottom of the fourth gave them a 3-2 lead which they wouldn’t relinquish. Stephen Miller went 2-4 with two triples, tying the Columbus regular season record for triples in a game, but only came home to score once. Columbus found hot bats in the final of the 4-game series, eight men batting in the first game the Brown Sox a 3-0 lead which the chicks quickly squashed with three runs in the second. From then on it was all Columbus. They chipped in runs here and there, Mares’ sixth run solo shot made it 7-3. Three balls and an error in the top of the ninth helped turn one hit into three runs and Columbus had a ten-spot on the board to confirm a 3-1 series win.
It was looking good in their home opener against Duluth when in the third, four Brown Sox runs made the score 6-1, but the Dragons chipped away at the lead and three runs in the eighth gave the visitors a 7-6 win. Mike Allain picking up his first AA loss and blown save together. Columbus chucked the second game away as well. Batting around in the bottom of the first they put five runs on the board, Dragons again came good late on though. Three runs in the seventh, four in the eighth and two in the ninth including a pair of 2-run homers turned that early 0-5 scoreline into a good win for Duluth. Raul Lopez went 3-5 but scored just once and Columbus ran through the pitching staff, using seven pitchers.
Pitcher of week: 21-yr-old starter Chris Sackett, didn’t get a result in his two starts and only pitched six innings. He did though only give up two hits & two walks while striking out eight batters. Opponents hit just .095 against him, got on base at a .174 clip against him and his WHIP was 0.67.
Batter of week: 24-yr-old Stephen Chavez. Hitting .409/.500/.727 in his opening six games. He has 16 total bases so far including his first 2043 homer; he has walked four times, scored five times and driven in six runs.
Topeka Thunderbears 3-3, 5th
@ Medford Mules W 3-1, L 4-5, L 2-4, W 13-9
Vs Council Bluff Express L 3-5, W 8-0
Topeka split the opening 4-game series of the season with Medford. All the scoring in game one was in the first innings as the pitchers held it scoreless after that despite Sumitomo Takahashi walking seven in his six IP, he only allowed two hits and the one run. In game two a single run in the bottom of the fourth turned a 4-4 tie into a one-run home win, catcher Roger Price going 2-4 and driving in three of the team’s four runs. The third game was much the same, a 2-2 tie was turned into a win for the Mules with a run in the bottom of fourth and another in the fifth. The series finally exploded with runs in the final game. In was only the first innings & the seventh that the Thunderbears didn’t score in as they out hit the Mules 16-15. Medford put a brave face on it scoring four in the eighth to make it look closer. Mike Sears went 2-5 with a walk, scoring three times and driving two in while Vicente Valencia went 3-3, scoring once but driving three runs in.
Back at home Topeka turned a 3-0 early deficit into a 3-3 tie with a run in the bottom of the eighth but then promptly coughed the game up, giving away two runs in the ninth. All was sweetness and life in the second game as Thunderbears had worked a 3-0 lead by the seventh before a five-run eighth put the exclamation mark on the shutout. Takahashi was again a bit wild, walking four, but again allowing just two hits and striking out eight batters. Fernando Casimiro, off to a poor start to the season, picked up a little going 1-3 with two walks, scoring once and driving two runs in.
Pitcher of week: 21-yr-old starter Sumitomo Takahashi won both his two opening week starts, pitching 14 innings and allowing just four hits from 57 batters faced. One run was scored while he was on the mound, but he was let down by walking 11 batters. He did though strikeout 13 of those 57 batters.
Batter of week: 20-yr-old Mike Sears, just back from an eye catching Aviators spring camp. In his second year in Topeka he hit .458/.536/.792 in his opening six games. He stole two bases in three attempts, hit two homers, four RBI and three walks.
