Phillies minor league report: IronPigs cruise past Pawtucket behind Mitch Walding, Collin Cowgill
Walding and Cowgill both homered for the IronPigs; a losing streak continued on for Reading while Lakewood ended its own.
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE (AAA)
Lehigh Valley 8, Pawtucket 1: Homers from 3B Mitch Walding and CF Collin Cowgill powered a 12-hit effort for the IronPigs (39-29).
Lehigh Valley put the game out of reach with a five-run fourth inning. SS Dean Anna (2-for-5) had an RBI single, Cowgill added a two-run double, and Walding hit a two-run shot in consecutive at-bats.
Cowgill doubled twice (3-for-4), while 2B Alexi Amarista also had a 3-for-4 day.
Rebounding from his worst start of the year (2 2-3 IP, 6 ER), RH Drew Anderson (W, 3-2) had an outing to build on. The 24-year-old gave up one run on five hits in a season-best 7 2-3 innings. He struck out four.
EASTERN LEAGUE (AA)
Akron 8, Reading 5: The Fightin Phils (26-40) never led as their losing skid hit six straight games.
The RubberDucks (39-29) brought in four runs in the first three innings against RH Franklyn Kilome (L, 1-4), who tossed five frames total.
A second-inning homer from 1B Darick Hall and a run on a wild pitch two innings later cut the deficit to 4-2 for Reading. But Akron would add four more runs to keep distance.
The Fightins' comeback attempt with two outs in the ninth, down 8-3, only mustered two runs.
Reading will try to end the slide and avoid the three-game sweep Sunday at 5:15 p.m.
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE (A)
Lakewood 4, Hickory 2: RF Jhailyn Ortiz's two-run homer gave the BlueClaws (40-28) an early lead and it stuck, snapping back-to-back losses.
A sacrifice fly from SS Nick Maton in the second inning made it 3-1. Lakewood later tacked on another run in the sixth as CF Kevin Markham doubled home 2B Daniel Brito.
LH Damon Jones (W, 5-2) struck out nine over six innings of one-run ball. He gave up two hits and walked three. RH Addison Russ picked up his 13th save in as many chances.
The teams will play the rubber match of the series Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE (A SHORT)
State College 7, Williamsport 6 (F/11 inn.): A back-and-forth second game of the season left the Crosscutters (1-1) on the wrong end of a walk-off.
A new minor league-only, extra-inning rule helped bring the winning run across for State College (1-1). With second base occupied to start the bottom of the 11th, per the new rule, 3B Jesus Henriquez's throwing error on a bunt single allowed the runner to come around to score.
In the two innings preceding the winning hit, Williamsport had two blown saves — RH Oscar Marcelino (9th, 2 ER) and LH Anton Kuznetsov (10th, 1 R).
It was game that saw four ties and six lead changes. St. Louis Cardinals-affiliated Spikes got on the board first with a run in the third inning.
Williamsport went ahead in the fourth as RF Danny Mayer and Henriquez each doubled in a run, but State College responded in their half and grabbed a one-run lead in the sixth.
After tying the game and then going up 4-3 in the ninth on an RBI single from CF Keudy Bocio, the Crosscutters could not close things out.
Williamsport can win its first series Sunday at 5:05 p.m.
DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE
DSL Phillies White 3, DSL D-backs2 0: Israel Puello (W, 2-0) and reliever Juan Miranda combined for a four-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts for the Phillies (6-7).
Puello, the 17-year-old righthander, allowed just one hit in six innings, fanning six and walking one. He has a 1.17 ERA through three starts. Miranda (3 IP, 5 K) earned his third save.
DSL Angels 9, DSL Phillies Red 5: After going in front on 1B Ryan Asencio's sixth-inning homer, the Phillies (2-11) allowed eight runs (four earned) over the final three innings.