The pitching lines were all over the map in the latest minor league action, with Hickory, Hub City, Frisco and Round Rock each getting a mix of sharp outings, rough stretches and a few notable bats.
At Hickory, Seong-Jun Kim got the start and worked two shutout innings, punching out two and issuing two walks. Jake Barbee followed and took the loss of momentum, allowing three runs over three innings while walking two and striking out two. Will Whelan then finished with two scoreless frames and two strikeouts.
The Hickory offense did plenty of damage behind him. Marco Argudin went 3 for 5 with two doubles and a homer.
Curley Martha finished 2 for 4 with a double and a stolen base, while Yolfran Castillo also left the yard and went 2 for 4. Josh Springer added a 2-for-4 night, and Dewar Tovar chipped in a hit and a walk in three trips.
Hub City got a strong workload from A.J. Russell, who threw a season-high 71 pitches over 4.1 innings.
He struck out seven, walked one and gave up a solo homer. On the other side of the box score, Evan Morrison turned in a 3-for-5 game with a double and two stolen bases.
Gleider Figuereo reached twice via walks in a 1-for-3 effort, and Maxton Martin homered while also drawing a walk.
Frisco’s D.J. McCarty set the tone on the mound by tossing four shutout innings, walking four and striking out two.
The lineup gave him enough support to spotlight several solid nights at the plate. Rafe Perich went 2 for 4 with a homer and a walk, Dylan Dreiling was 2 for 5, and Sebastian Walcott finished 3 for 5.
Yeison Morrobel went 2 for 3 with a double and two walks, Malcolm More was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk, and Arturo Disla added a hit.
Round Rock’s pitching night started with a quick hook for David Davalillo, who was pulled after recording two outs and throwing 32 pitches. He walked two, struck out one and was charged with four runs. Rehabbing Jack Leiter came on in relief and worked one inning, striking out one while allowing three runs.
The rest of the staff settled things down. Ryan Lobus struck out two and walked one over 2.1 shutout innings.
Luis Curvelo gave up a run in two innings while striking out two. Josh Sborz threw a scoreless inning, Alexis Diaz logged a shutout inning with one strikeout, and Gavin Collyer allowed one run in an inning, striking out one and walking one.
At the plate for Round Rock, Alejandro Osuna had a hit and a walk, John Taylor doubled and walked, and Aaron Zavala also posted a double and a walk.
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