Top Diamondbacks Pitching Prospect Has Strong Outing in Loss

Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles 6-5 and 5-4 over the Tulsa Drillers

The Sod Poodles took both ends of a doubleheader on Thursday following a rainout on Wednesday. Both games were seven-inning affairs.

Three Drillers errors led to three unearned runs in the first game. The "Soddies" only mustered five hits, but Caleb Roberts hit a two-run double and Tommy Troy had an RBI single. Alfred Morillo hung on to record his fourth save despite giving up two runs in the top of the seventh. He has a 4.35 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP in 10 outings.

The nightcap saw the Sod Poodles fight all the way back from a 4-0 deficit with three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh for the walk-off victory.

LuJames Groover hit a three run blast, his seventh of the year, to make it a one-run game. Back-to-back doubles by Jack Hurley and Ivan Melendez in the seventh tied it up at four all. A single and a walk loaded the bases for Tommy Troy, who got Jean Walters home with a grounder to a drawn-in first baseman who threw wide, allowing the run to score.

High-A Hillsboro Hops 4, Eugene Emeralds 3

Daniel Eagen was at it again, throwing 5.2 strong innings, allowing one run on three hits, four walks and seven strikeouts. The 22-year-old right-hander threw 90 pitches, 52 for strikes. He record is now 2-1 and he has a 3.00 ERA to go with an even better 2.44 FIP in 24 innings pitched. Expect him to move up the rankings board significantly when they're updated around draft time.

Hayden Durke recorded four outs and threw a scoreless ninth, striking out two on the way to his first save of the year. He has a 1.13 ERA. Durke has an astonishing 30 strikeouts in 16 innings.

Demetrio Crisantes hit a two-run triple and drew two walks. He has his average up to .271 with a .837 OPS. While not quite the eye-popping averages he posted last year in High-A, for the pitcher-friendly Northwest League that still works out to a 127 wRC+, or roughly 27% better than the average hitter for that league. The 20-year-old is 2.2 years younger than the average age of a player in the Northwest League.

High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 13, Visalia Rawhide 0

It was a day to forget for Visalia. Lorenzo Encarnacion, who was coming off a Quality Start in his last outing, got knocked around for five early runs, and the Quakes never looked back, as they beat up on the Rawhide bullpen for eight more runs.

The Rawhide managed seven hits, drew a walk, and got on by error, but were 0-12 with runners in scoring position on the way to being shut out. Slade Caldwell did not start, but came into the game late and recorded a base hit, upping his average to .325.