Daniel Palencia was throwing hard in St. Paul.
Mason McGwire might just be a prospect.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs declared the St. Paul Saints (Twins) to be heretics, 6-5.
Connor Noland put the I-Cubs in an early hole after he got battered around for five runs on six hits over four innings. He walked three and struck out one.
Daniel Palencia relieved Noland in the fifth inning. He struck out the first batter looking, then he gave up a single and then got a lineout to center field. Palencia was throwing 100 to 102 miles per hour to the first two batters and more like 98-101 to the third batter, Orlando Arcia. The St. Paul broadcasters said that the single that Kyler Fedko got off of a 101.6 mph fastball by Palencia was the fastest pitch that any Saint has gotten a hit off of in franchise history. Palencia threw 19 pitches before he was pulled, 14 of them were strikes.
Zac Leigh relieved Palencia in the fifth and got a ground out to second to get out of that inning. Then Leigh struck out the side in the sixth. Leigh got the win.
Gabe Klobosits came on in the ninth and allowed two baserunners on an error and a walk. But he retired the other three batters he faced, two by strikeout, to collect the save.
Center fielder Kevin Alcántara hit his International League-leading tenth home run to dead center field in the fifth inning with a man on. Alcántara added a two-run double in the seventh to give Iowa the lead. He was 2 for 4 with a walk and the four runs batted in.
First baseman Jonathon Long had a pair of doubles in a 3 for 5 night. Long scored once and drove one home.
Third baseman Pedro Ramírez was 2 for 5 and scored twice.
Shortstop Owen Miller was 2 for 4.
The Jaguar strikes.
Alcántara just missed going deep twice, but settled for a two-run double.
Long’s RBI double went to the right-center field gap.
Knoxville Smokies
The Knoxville Smokies disposed of the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Padres), 6-1.
Starter Jake Knapp allowed just one unearned run on one hit over 4.1 innings. Knapp walked three, hit one batter and struck out four.
Tyler Ras relieved Knapp in the fifth and while he did allow an inherited runner to score and tie the game, he ended up getting the win after the Smokies scored two runs in the top of the sixth and re-took the lead. Ras’s final line was no runs on three hits over 1.2 innings. Ras struck out one and walked no one.
Right fielder Carter Trice opened the scoring with a solo home run in the third inning,. Trice was 1 for 5.
Left fielder Andy Garriola hit a solo home run in the sixth to break the 1-1 tie in the sixth inning. It was his fifth home run of the year. Garriola went 1 for 4.
DH Owen Ayers broke the game open with a three-run home run in the seventh inning. It was his second home run for the Smokies and eighth overall. Ayers was 1 for 5.
Center fielder Jordan Nwogu was 1 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored once.
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs were smelted by the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 6-2.
Brooks Caple started and gave up no runs over the first three innings. Caple allowed three hits and three walks while striking out two.
Alfredo Romero relieved Caple and allowed just one run over his first three innings of work. But he came out to pitch the seventh and after retiring the first two batters, he walked the next two and then left for Jackson Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick let in both of those runners, so Romero got tagged with the loss.
The final line on Romero was three runs on just one hit over 3.2 innings. He did walk five batters and struck out just one.
Kirkpatrick officially allowed one run on one hit over 1.1 innings. He walked one, hit one batter and struck out three.
Center fielder Kane Kepley went 1 for 2 with two walks and an RBI.
Catcher Justin Stransky was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run batted in.
Here’s a nice defensive play by Kepley.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans won their fourth-straight by walking off the Columbia Fireflies (Royals), 8-7.
Mason McGwire continued his big start to the season by allowing just one run on one hit over four innings. McGwire struck out four and walked two.
After Riely Hunsaker got rocked for six runs, five earned, over the three middle innings, the Pelicans came back. Elis Jerzembeck threw the final two innings without allowing a run and got the win. Jerzembeck surrendered two hits and issued one walk. He struck out three.
Catcher Logan Poteet was the hero tonight. Not only did he hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, he hit an RBI infield single in the bottom of the ninth to end the game. It was Poteet’s third home run this year. Poteet went 2 for 4 with a walk and the home run. He had two runs scored to go with the three RBI.
Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy was 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI single.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez went 2 for 4 and scored once.
Here is a three-run double for second baseman Alexis Hernandez (1 for 4) and an RBI single for Lumpuy.
An game-tying RBI triple for left fielder Jose Escobar.
Here’s Poteet’s walk-off single.