Milwaukee Brewers Minors: Freitas’ slam earns win

The Milwaukee Brewers top three affiliates were in action on Monday with the Missions playing a rain-induced “doubleheader.” In Omaha, David Freitas had the Missions feeling grand for the second straight day.

Triple-A

San Antonio Missions (48-29) vs Omaha Storm Chasers (37-40)

The Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate started the day Monday needing to take care of unfinished business as Sunday night’s game was postponed until the following day at a 7-7 tie in the fifth inning. The score stayed that way through extra innings with both teams tallying a run in the 11th and needing to play on.

Finally, David Freitas took matters into his own hands, clubbing the team’s second grand slam of the game in the 13th inning and putting San Antonio up 12-8. Omaha managed one more run in the bottom of the frame but the Missions eventually closed out a 12-9 victory. Jay Jackson pitched the final three innings, blowing the save in the 11th but holding on to the end to improve to 4-2 on the year.

Monday’s regularly scheduled game didn’t go as well. After going down 2-0 after one, Lucas Erceg launched a two-run homer in the second inning, his ninth, to tie the game 2-2. That was the score heading into the bottom of the seventh, the final inning on account of the “doubleheader,” when the Storm Chasers popped a walk off homer off of Luke Barker to deal the Missions a 3-2 loss.

San Antonio dropped the series 2-3 as a result of the loss. Only three other Missions had hits in the game – Mauricio Dubon and Troy Stokes Jr. who both went 2-for-3, and Keston Hiura who finished 1-for-3.

The Missions return home for a four-game series against the Round Rock Express on Tuesday.

Double-A

Biloxi Shuckers (43-32) vs Mississippi Braves (35-38)

A solo homer in the first was all the Braves needed as the Shuckers were shut out 1-0 in the final game of their series together on Monday. Like the Missions, the Shuckers also lost their series 3-2.

Bowden Francis sure did his part to keep Biloxi in it all night. He threw six innings and gave up just the one earned run, his first in three games, eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Drew Rasmussen and Devin Williams pitched a combined three innings of scoreless ball to keep Biloxi in striking distance.

The closest the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate got to tying the game was in the bottom of the first when Luis Aviles Jr. walked and moved to third on a single by C.J. Hinojosa. But two strikeouts surrounding Hinojosa being caught stealing stopped that scoring threat and only three other Shuckers would get as far as second base the rest of the way.

Dillon Thomas and Max McDowell each had a double to go with a single apiece by Joantgel Segovia and Aviles Jr. Segovia added his fourth stolen base of the year.

Class A Advanced

Carolina Mudcats (42-32) vs Down East Wood Ducks (52-23)

A five run deficit after two innings was too much to overcome as the Mudcats scored two runs in the fourth and sixth innings to pull within a run, but ultimately fell 5-4 in the opening game of their series against the Wood Ducks on Monday.

An RBI-single by Mario Feliciano started the scoring in the fourth for the Mudcats followed immediately by a run-scoring double play from Payton Henry. Feliciano ripped another RBI-single in the sixth and a walk by Zach Clark with the bases loaded which scored Tristen Lutz pulled Carolina within one.

The Milwaukee Brewers High-A affiliate had one more chance to rally in the ninth when an Eddie Silva single and a Julio Garcia walk put two men on with one out, but a fly out and ground out by the next two batters ended the game.

Feliciano and Silva both went 2-for-4 on the night while Clark and Lutz also reached base twice, each going 1-for-3 with a walk. Rob Henry went 1-for-5 and scored two of Carolina’s runs. After giving up just one earned run in his last three outings, Christian Taugner was roughed up on Monday, lasting just 3 2/3 and giving up six hits, three walks, and five earned runs.

Class A & Rookie Advanced

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (34-39) had the day off on Monday. They begin a seven-game road trip with a four-game set against the Cedar Rapids Kernels (41-33) on Tuesday.

The Rocky Mountain Vibes (4-5) also had an off day on Monday. They continue their homestand on Tuesday against the Ogden Raptors (6-4).