Anderson's complete game highlights busy week in ABL
34-year-old allowed only two hits in win for Blue Sox as they sweep Aces
While rain washed away one third of the games on the Week 11 Australian Baseball League schedule, there was still plenty of action down under. The defending champion Perth Heat moved into sole possession of second place after taking three of four from the Adelaide Bite and the Sydney Blue Sox and Canberra Cavalry each swept abbreviated series over the Melbourne Aces and Brisbane Bandits, respectively.
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Craig Anderson's complete game two-hit shutout highlighted the Blue Sox two game sweep of the Aces in Sydney. The 34-year-old hurler -- who spent nine seasons in the Minors from 1999-2008 -- fanned nine and did not walk a batter as he improved to 4-6 with a 3.62 ERA.
D-backs prospect Alex Glenn powered the Sydney offense with a 5-for-9 weekend that included his sixth home run of the season and six RBIs. Glenn's 29 RBIs currently rank fifth in the league, tied with Sydney teammate Trent Oeltjen. Another D-backs prospect, SS Tyler Bortnick, scored five runs in the two games, going 3-for-7 with a pair of RBIs. Bortnick has shaken off a sluggish start to hit .353 over his last 10 games with the Blue Sox.
Texas Rangers prospect Kellin Deglan continued to shine for Melbourne, collecting three hits and adding a pair of RBIs to increase his league-leading total to 35. The 22-year-old Canadian leads the league with 16 home runs, already a new single-season ABL record.
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It was Blue Jays farmhand Jack Murphy who led the way in Canberra's two-game sweep of the Brisbane Bandits, as the veteran ABLer tallied five hits, a home run and seven RBIs in the two games. Murphy's last 10 contests have seen him drive in 16 runs while batting .444 and belting a pair of home runs. The reigning ABL Fan's Choice Award winner ranks second in the league with 34 RBIs and third with a .369 batting average.
Two other Blue Jays prospects, Christian Lopes and Anthony Alford, both contributed to the Cavalry victories with three hits apiece. The 20-year-old Alford added a home run, a pair of RBIs, a steal and four runs scored, while Lopes' three hits moved his average to .371, good for second in the league. Lopes did leave Friday's game with a leg injury, however, and there is no word yet on whether he will remain with Canberra for the rest of the ABL season.
A's prospect Tim Atherton dominated on the mound once again for the Cavalry, yielding just two hits and one walk over 5.1 innings of work. The Australian sits at 6-0 with a 2.21 ERA after 10 starts this season. He has struck out 55 while walking 11 in 53 innings of work.
Brisbane's normally potent offense was held in check during the two games, with Rays prospect Maxx Tissenbaum collecting four hits to lead the group. 22-year-old Johnny Field, another Rays prospect, tallied three hits in the series and has now hit safely in seven straight contests.
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In Perth, the first place Adelaide Bite dropped their first series of the season, three games to one to the Heat. The series was the first for Adelaide without MVP frontrunner Aaron Miller who left the team to return to the U.S. In 36 games with the Bite, the 27-year-old Dodgers prospect hit .389 with 12 home runs, 33 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.
Twenty-two-year-old Dodgers prospect Brandon Dixon remains with Adelaide and turned in a five-hit series for the Bite that included two RBIs and two stolen bases. Dixon has hit .404 with five home runs, 14 RBIs and five stolen bases over his last 10 contests, and has recorded seven multi-hit performances during that span.
Houston Astros prospect Tyler Brunnemann earned his league leading seventh save in Adelaide's 8-7 win on Friday, securing the victory for Australian Josh Tols who improved to 9-1 out of the bullpen.
Shortstop Joey Wong set the tone for Perth with a 7-for-16 series that included four RBIs, four runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. The Oregon State product and Rockies prospect has hit .289 through his first 40 games as the in the ABL this season, starting every game at short for the Heat.
Red Sox prospect Jorge Marban struck out six in three innings of work out of the Perth bullpen. The right-hander has fanned 39 in 30 innings of work while holding opposing hitters to a .163 batting average.
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With just two weeks remaining in the regular season the Bite (26-14) hold a five-game lead over Perth (21-19), with Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney all within two games of the Heat. The top three teams at the conclusion of the regular season will compete in the ABL playoffs.