Minor League Wrap: Ballesteros leads Iowa past Nashville, 5-3

Wins for Iowa, South Bend and Myrtle Beach.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were louder than the Nashville Sounds (Brewers), 5-3.

Will Sanders pitched five innings before the rains came, getting the win after giving up three runs on five hits. Sanders walked four and struck out three.

Nate Pearson threw the final 1.2 innings and got the save. Pearson just gave up one hit, a single to lead off the ninth, but immediately erased the runner with a 6-4-3 double play. Pearson struck out one.

Catcher Moisés Ballesteros knocked a two-run double down the left field line in the top of the fifth that gave Iowa the lead for good. Ballesteros also had an RBI infield single in the third. Ballesteros went 2 for 4 with a walk and the three RBI.

Shortstop Ben Cowles went 2 for 4 with a double.

Left fielder Greg Allen was 1 for 2 with a walk and one run scored.

There was a 53-minute rain delay in the sixth inning of this game.

The Ballesteros RBI infield single.

Ballesteros’ RBI double (with some context).

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were shelled by the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 6-2.

Sam Armstrong started and took the loss. Armstrong gave up five runs on six hits over five innings. Armstrong walked two and struck out two.

Third baseman BJ Murray Jr. hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, his 11th on the season. Murray went 1 for 4.

Knoxville’s other run came in the top of the first inning. Second baseman Pedro Ramirez walked, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single by shortstop Corey Joyce. Ramirez went 1 for 3 with a walk and Joyce was 1 for 4.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs sunk the Lake County Captains (Guardians), 4-2.

For the second start in a row, starter Tyler Schlaffer went seven innings. This time, Schlaffer allowed two runs, one earned, on just two hits. (Last time it was five hits and no runs.) Schlaffer walked three and struck out five.

First baseman Cameron Sisneros went 3 for 4 with a double and two total runs batted in. Sisneros is batting .625 in his first two games in South Bend. I almost hate to mention the two fielding errors he made.

Shortstop Jefferson Rojas was 2 for 4 with a two-run double in the fifth inning. Rojas scored twice.

Center fielder Carter Trice went 2 for 5 and scored on the Rojas double.

Rehabbing DH James Triantos was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and also scored on Rojas’ double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans plucked the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), 8-7 after rallying to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Starter Will Frisch got rocked for seven runs on five hits over just 3.2 innings. Two of the hits were home runs, including a grand slam in the fourth inning. Frisch walked three, hit two and struck out five.

A rehabbing Chris Clarke got a tandem start with Frisch and shut down the Woodpeckers the rest of the way. Clarke allowed no runs on just two hits over 5.1 innings. Clarke struck out seven and walked one.

Catcher Owen Ayers scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth after an errant pickoff throw, finishing off a three-run inning. Ayers went 1 for 4 with an RBI single earlier in the ninth.

Third baseman Yahil Melendez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a three-run triple in the third inning. Melendez scored twice.

Right fielder Leonel Espinoza went 2 for 5. He scored the tying run in the ninth and drove in Melendez with a single in the third.

Left fielder Jose Escobar was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

The Melendez triple.

ACL Cubs

Off day.