Royals Minor League Report: July 13
Omaha Storm Chasers (51-45)
Omaha 7, Colorado Springs 1
WP: Tim Collins (2-1)
HR: Matt Fields (18)
Omaha went into the PCL All-Star break with a win at Colorado Springs. Joe Saunders made his first start since joining the Royals' organization, holding the Sky Sox to one run on three hits and a walk over three innings. Tim Collins earned the win after retiring all nine batters he faced, including four strikeouts. Aaron Brooks worked the final three frames, allowing three hits. Matt Fields finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Paul Janish was 4-for-4 with a double and a run. Johnny Giavotella added two hits, two RBI, two runs and two stolen bases.
NW Arkansas Naturals (12-11 second half, 37-56 overall)
NW Arkansas 5, Tulsa 1
WP: Ali Williams (3-1)
HR: None
Northwest Arkansas returned home and opened with a win against Tulsa. Matt Murray struck out three over three scoreless innings. Ali Williams, who allowed two hits with five strikeouts over three innings, picked up a relief victory. Parker Morin doubled home Max Ramirez in the second to put Northwest Arkansas on top. Angel Franco posted two RBIs and third-ranked Royals prospect Jorge Bonifacio tripled home a run.
Wilmington Blue Rocks (10-12 second half, 43-47 overall)
Salem 5, Wilmington 1
LP: Miguel Almonte (5-5)
HR: None
The Blue Rocks dropped to 1-2 vs. Salem. The Red Sox scored four in the fourth off of fifth-ranked Royals prospect Miguel Almonte , who allowed four runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings with three strikeouts. Zeb Sneed followed with 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Michael Antonio went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. He scored on Cody Stubbs' sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Lexington Legends (10-15 second half, 39-56 overall)
Lexington 6, Hagerstown 5
WP: Luis Rico (3-6)
SV: Tim Hill (1)
HR: None
Lexington salvaged the finale of a four-game set at home. Lexington scored four in the third, added two in the fifth and held on as Hagerstown plated five in the ninth, including a grand slam. Frank Schwindel went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. The South Atlantic League All-Star is hitting .343 (36-for-105) in the second half after batting .259 before the break. Dex Kjerstad added three hits and a run. Matt Alvarez and Luis Rico tossed four scoreless innings apiece.
Idaho Falls Chukars (15-12)
Idaho Falls 4, Great Falls 0
WP: Jake Newberry (3-0)
HR: None
Idaho Falls scored three in the first en route to a shutout win at Great Falls. Corey Toups posted three doubles, two RBIs and a run. He was the Royals' 15th-round pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Sam Houston State. Ryan O'Hearn, Toups' teammate at SHSU, added two hits, an RBI and a run. He's leading the league with a .422 average (35-for-83). Wander Franco continued his hot hitting, posting two doubles and a triple. He has seven multi-hit games over his last nine, recording a .543 average over the span (19-for-35). Bryan Brickhouse, Jake Newberry, Sam Lewis and Nick Green combined on the shutout.
Burlington Royals (11-13)
Burlington 10, Johnson City 1
WP: Dylan Sons (1-0)
HR: Chase Vallot (5), Logan Moon 2 (1, 2)
Burlington rolled to a second straight win over Johnson City, scoring nine runs from the fifth to the seventh. Blue Springs South product Logan Moon opened the fifth with his first professional home run. He hit a two-run shot in the seventh, finishing 3-for-4 with four runs scored. Moon is batting .324 (24-for-74). Chase Vallot hit his team-leading fifth homer, driving in three runs in all. Vallot, selected 40th overall last month, is second in the league in home runs. Ryan Dale added three hits and Luis Lara posted two singles, two walks and two runs. Corey Ray (4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO) made the start. Dylan Sons (2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO) and Andres Machado (2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) followed in relief.