Intermountain Baseball League - Presented by BigJdotcom01

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June 17-19, 2024: St GEORGE (39-37) @ FLAGSTAFF (32-44)
Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 13,406)

June 17: Archers 2, Hops 1
June 18: Hops 4, Archers 3
June 19: Archers 5, Hops 3

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - The Hops struggles continued as they dropped two of three to the St. George Archers to open their homestand.

The Hops dropped the opener to the Archers 2-1 to run their losing streak to five games. The team wasted another great outing from starter Alex Farmer as they continue to slide out of the playoff picture.

At George would take a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a Chris Taylor sacrifice fly that scored Mikey Fisher. They would extend that lead to 2-0 in the sixth on a two-out RBI double from Jamaal McCormick.

Flagstaff would get on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the sixth on a solo home run from Roberto Geronimo, his 13th on the season. But they could not find their way to another run in this one.

Casey Pack (6-1) picked up the victory, tossing six innings and allowing one run on four hits Sam Goodman worked a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 17th save. Alex Farmer (10-3) took the loss, throwing seven innings and allowing two run son four hits, while striking out four and walking just one. He leads the league with a 1.78 ERA.

The Hops are now 12 games below .500 for the first time in franchise history.

On Tuesday evening, the Hops broke a five game losing streak as they rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Archers. Newcomer David Petrovski went 3 for 4 with a triple and scored two runs to help the anemic Hops offense.

St George would take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a Jamaal McCormick two-run home run, his 21st on the year. But Flagstaff would answer right back as Art Mason lined a two-out, two-run double to tie it at 2-2.

Mason would give the Hops the lead in the fourth as he hit a solo home run to left, his 11th on the season, to make it 3-2.

St George would tie it up in the sixth on a Fred Roberts solo home run off of starter Juro Yamaguchi that ended his night. Yamaguchi pitched 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out four, but also walked four and did not figure in the decision.

In the bottom half of the sixth, Art Mason came through again, singling home newcomer David Petrovski, who had tripled. Mason drove in all four runs in the game for Flagstaff.

The Hops bullpen then held up with Kenneth Valdez, Oliver Benedict and Vic Miller shutting down the potent Archers lineup. Miller struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his 15th save. Valdez (2-1) earned the win, pitching 1.1 innings in relief of Yamaguchi and only allowing one hit.

On Wednesday afternoon, Taylor Austin struck out 15 and the Archers won 5-3 to take the series. Austin (5-8) dominated, allowing one run on six hits in eight plus innings, striking out a career high, while only walking two.

The Archers would grab the lead in the third on a two-out, three-run home run from Jamaal McCormack. The home run was his 22nd on the year and gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. They would extend that lead to 5-0 in the sixth on solo home runs from Chris Taylor (24) and Sammy Gomez (12).

Flagstaff would be held scoreless until the ninth when shortstop Ryan Kelly blasted a three-run home run off of Francisco Francisco. Sam Goodman came on to get the final out and pick up his 18th save.

Russell Fluty (2-7) took the loss, but aside from the three home runs allowed, was pretty good. He allowed the five runs on seven hits and struck out five, while walking only one. Sam Varela and Samuel Espinoza got the final 11 outs, striking out five and not allowing a run.

Flagstaff batters struck out a season high 17 times in the game including three each from Roberto Geronimo and David Petrovski. Every batter in the Hops lineup struck out at least once.

The Hops (32-44) will close out the home stand with a four game series against Amarillo (26-49). The Honey Hunters have the worst record in the IBL.

Around the League: Santa Fe's Ron Sposato (7-4) tossed eight strong innings, allowing one run and striking out six as the Jays cooled off red-hot Albuquerque 5-2. Dezi Azerod went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs to key the offense in the Santa Fe victory.

Scottsdale got a game tying solo home run from Martin Perez in the bottom of the ninth and then a game winning walk-off RBI double from him in the 11th as the Scorpions rallied to defeat Mesa 2-1.

Chandler's Ervin Cordero homered twice, including a walk-off solo home run in the tenth, as the Chiefs defeated Gilbert 6-5 in extra innings. Gilbert had tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the ninth on a Josh Heupel two-run shot off of Chandler closer Jim Miller. For Miller, it was his third blown save on the season.

San Diego's Oscar Heurta (5-4) tossed a complete game seven hit shutout, striking out eight, as the Seals defeated Amarillo 4-0 to run their winning streak to four.

Henderson's Dwayne Parks (2-6) threw 8.1 innings of shutout baseball, allowing two hits and striking out seven in a 4-0 victory for the Silver Knights over Fort Worth.

David Petrovski had a successful debut for Flagstaff, recording three hits including a triple, in a win.

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June 20-23, 2024: AMARILLO (28-51) @ FLAGSTAFF (34-46)
Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 13,406)

June 20: Honey Hunters 9, Hops 2
June 21: Honey Hunters 3, Hops 1
June 22: Hops 2, Honey Hunters 1
June 23: Hops 6, Honey Hunters 0

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - Flagstaff managed to split of four game series with the worst team in the IBL, losing the first two, but then rallying to win the final two games to earn a split.

The Honey Hunters blew out the Hops in the opener, 9-2. Luke Brady went 3 for 5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored for the victorious Honey Hunters.

Amarillo jumped on Ryan Pressley early and did not let up. Back-to-back RBI doubles from Jon Cooper and Leif Radford in the second put the Honey Hunters up 2-0. A Daryl Sweet home run in the third made it 3-0. A Morris RBI single and Jon Cooper RBI double made it 5-0 in the fifth as Ryan Pressley's recent woes continued.

The Honey Hunters would end Pressley's night in the sixth with a leadoff home run from Bobby Huff. Kenneth Valdez came on but he gave up a three-run home run to Luke Brady to make it 9-0.

Forrest Owen would get one back with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, the first hit of the game for Flagstaff. They would add another run in the seventh on a Roberto Geronimo RBI groundout that scored David Benitez.

Overall, another brutal performance from Flagstaff. Ryan Pressley (6-6) was lit up for six run son ten hits in five plus innings. He struck out eight.

Meanwhile Andres Montoya (6-3) dominated the Hops, going seven innings and allowing two runs on only three hits. He struck out four.

On Friday night, the Honey Hunters rode two first inning home runs to a 3-1 victory over the slumping Hops. Robert Ozone tossed seven strong innings to pick up the win for the last-place Honey Hunters.

Geraldo Rodriguez (1-5) pitched one of his better games for Flagstaff, but gave up solo home runs to Yusniel Valdez and Luke Brady in the first inning, and that doomed him. Rodriguez would pitch eight innings, allowing three runs on five hits. The Honey Hunters added a run in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Yusniel Valdez.

The Hops would score their lone run in the bottom of the sixth on an Emmitt Hampton sac fly that scored Robbie Westbrook.

The Hops have not scored more than four runs in their last 13 games and are (2-11) in those games. This team has arguably the best pitching staff in the IBL and the worst offense. They are last in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, run scored, doubles, triples, and walks.

On Saturday evening, the Hops got a great pitching performance from Alex Farmer as they rallied late for a 2-1 victory. Alex Farmer (11-3) was dominant again, throwing seven innings and allowing just one run on five hits. He struck out six and did not issue a walk.

The Honey Hunters would grab a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a Daryl Sweet solo home run, his 12th on the season. But Alex Farmer would shut them down after that.

The Hops would finally get to starter Ryan Walker in the seventh. Roberto Geronimo hit a lead-off home run to tie the game. They Kiko Pressley lined a two-out RBI single that scored Bradley York to give the Hops the lead 2-1.

Oliver Benedict and Vic Miller came on a did not allow any baserunners as Miller picked up his 16th save.

Ryan Walker (1-6) took the loss for the Honey Hunters, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Kiko Pressley, getting the start at third base, went 3 for 3 with an RBI. The light hitting youngster has been rumored to be on the trade block but he has a ton of potential so that is something to keep an eye on as the calendar turns to July with the Hops playoff hopes fading.

On Sunday afternoon, Juro Yamaguchi brought his A-game, tossing a complete game shutout, as the Hops earned a series split with a 6-0 victory. The Hops hit five home runs in the victory to close out the home stand.

Flagstaff would grab a 1-0 lead in the first on a solo home run from Bradley York, his 10th on the season. A third inning home run from Isaac Nettles (5) made it 2-0.

Forrest Owen would add a two-run home run in the fourth to put the Hops up by four.

Roberto Geronimo (14) and Art Mason 12) would add solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

Juro Yamaguchi (2-7) has struggled in 2024, but he was at his best on Sunday afternoon, going the distance and scattering five hits, while striking out six and walking one. Roger O'Brien (2-7) was hung with the loss, only lasting four plus innings and allowing five runs on seven hits.

The Hops (34-46) will finally have a day off tomorrow before heading to Utah for a quick two game series in St George (42-37).

Trades: The Hots Shots acquired 25-year-old starting pitcher Daniel Herrera (75 OVR, C POT) from the Firebirds in exchange for 30-year-old shortstop Alexis Lerma (79 OVR, C POT).

Around the League: A suddenly red-hot Salt Lake has now won their sixth in a row as they swept San Antonio on Thursday afternoon in a dominating 12-2 win. Julio Cervantes went 5 for 5 with a home run and five RBIs to lead the Chukars to the victory.

Gilbert's shiny new shortstop Carlos Quinones homered twice but it wasn't enough as the Barnstormers dropped a 7-6 decision to Henderson on Friday night. This game featured eight home runs, four by each team, in a wild one at YouFit Field.

Fort Worth pounded out 19 hits and scored 15 runs in a 15-3 walloping of San Diego and their ace Matt Campbell. Felix went 3 for 4 with three doubles and five RBIs to lead the Kings. Matt Campbell (6-6) only lasted two plus innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits for the first-place Seals.

Scottsdale's Sam Conley hit two home runs and drove in six as the Scorpions outslugged Salt River 12-10 on Saturday afternoon. The teams combined for 31 hits and five home runs.

Tucson's Romeo Cruz went 4 for 4 with three doubles and a grand slam driving in seven as the Roadrunners defeated Surprise 12-4 to take two of three in the weekend series.

Phoenix's Gene Clark hit three home runs and drove in five, but it wasn't enough as St George pulled out an 11-10 victory in 13 innings on Sunday afternoon. Chris Taylor hit two more home runs for the Archers and leads the IBL with 26 bombs and is fifth in the Mountain League with 57 RBIs.

Alex Farmer has been on of the few bright spots for the Hops in 2024.

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June 25-26, 2024: FLAGSTAFF (35-47) @ ST GEORGE (43-38)
Stadium: Bank of Utah Park (Capacity: 8,877)

June 25: Hops 6, Archers 5
June 26: Archers 4, Hops 2

St George, UT (AP) - The Hops split a short two-game series to open their road trip in St George against the first-place Archers.

In the opener, the Hops rallied late for a 6-5 victory in the opener of a short two-game series. Ryan Kelly went 2 for 4 with a home run and drove in four to lead the Hops to the victory.

Kelly got things going in the second, hitting a three-run bomb off of Gellman.

But the Archers would get two back in the third on an Angel Montes two-run shot, his eighth on the year. They would tie it up in the fourth on a Fred Roberts solo home run, his seventh. The Archers would take the lead in the sixth on a two-out, two-run double from catcher Sammy Gomez off of reliever Samuel Espinoza.

But the Hops would find a way to scratch back. Art Mason and Roberto Geronimo each lined two-out RBI singles in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5.

In the ninth, Ryan Kelly came through again. This time with an RBI single that scored Bradley York to make it 6-5.

Vic Miller worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 17th save. Pedro Macias (1-1) picked up the win, pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Russell Fluty pitched five innings and was once again very good, allowing four runs on only five hits, while striking out nine and walking one. The young right hander is really starting to gain some confidence on the mound in his increased role.

The Hops are now (20-9) when they score at least four runs in a game.

In Wednesday afternoon's finale, Taylor Austin once again dominated the Hops, this time striking out fourteen and allowing just two runs on two hits in 8.1 innings of work in a 4-2 victory for the Archers.

Austin (6-8) has now struck out 29 in 16.1 innings of work in the last week, both wins by the Archers against Flagstaff.

St George would grab a 2-0 lead in the second off of Ryan Pressley. Catcher Sammy Gomez again came through with a clutch hit, lining an RBI double to give the Archers a lead. Hagar then doubled home Gomez to make it 2-0.

A Robbie Westbrook solo home run in the fourth cut the lead in half. It was his seventh on the year.

But St George immediately responded as Fred Roberts homered to right in the bottom half. The Archers would increase their lead to 4-1 in the sixth on a Harper Reyes RBI double.

Ryan Kelly would hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth off of Taylor Sutin to cut the lead to 4-2 and end Taylor's afternoon. Closer Sam Goodman gave up a single to Roberto Geronimo but got Bradley York to ground out and Robbie Westbrook to strikeout to end the ball game and earn his 21st save in 27 opportunities.

The Hops hit the halfway mark of the 2024 season at (35-47) and will head to Prescott to face the Hot Shots (39-41) and get their first look at ASARCO Park, the Hot Shots new home that opened up this year.

Around the League: Austin's Rick Singleton homered twice and drove in three as the Fire Frogs defeated Amarillo 5-2. Singleton is second in the Mountain League with 25 home runs, leads the league with 68 RBIs and is third in batting average at (.332).

El Paso swept a short two-game series at Chandler in a rematch of the 2023 IBL World Series. The Express won by scores of 7-2 and 10-2. Josh Hawk went 2 for 8 in the series but both of his hits were home runs as he drove in seven runs on the sweep. Hawk is now up to fourth in the Mountain League with 22 home runs and now tied with Rick Singleton for second in the RBI lead with 68.

Surprise lost start shortstop Jaime Hernandez to a broken ankle, suffered in Wednesday afternoon's loss to Goodyear. The DL Central leaders will be without their star for 4-8 weeks. Hernandez was hitting .268 with six home runs and 28 RBIs to go along with 17 stolen bases.

Roswell's Blake Pacinelli homered twice and drove in six as the Aliens defeated Albuquerque 11-6. Pacinelli now has 18 home runs and leads the ML in RBIS with 60.

Rio Rancho's Rollie Flingers (13-2) tossed a complete game five-hit shutout, striking out six, as the Owlz defeated San Antonio 1-0. A Danny Watson RBI double in the sixth was the game's lone run.

Ryan Kelly has injected some life into this Flagstaff offense since arriving from the Chiefs.

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June 27-30, 2024: FLAGSTAFF (37-49) @ PRESCOTT (41-43)
Stadium: ASARCO Park (Capacity: 7,170)



Russell Fluty and the Hops celebrated the first no-hitter in IBL history on Sunday afternoon.

June 27: Hops 4, Hot Shots 3
June 28: Hots Shots 7, Hops 5
June 29: Hot Shots 8, Hops 3
June 30: Hops 6, Hot Shots 0

Prescott, AZ (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops split a four game series with rivals Prescott in their first ever visit to the brand new ASARCO Park.

The Hops opened up a big four game series in Prescott with a 4-3 victory on Thursday evening. David Petrovski hit his first home run as a Hop to help lead the ten hit attack for the visitors.

Flagstaff would grab a 2-0 lead in the second as Petrovski and Forrest Owen each hit solo home runs off of starter Ken Smith. They would increase that lead to 3-0 in the fourth on a solo home run from Robbie Westbrook. It was his eighth on the season.

Geraldo Rodriguez was cruising in the fourth, getting the first two outs before giving up a bloop single to Khris Kovach. He then hit Harwill O'Kane on an 0-2 pitch and then hung a curveball that Paul Knapp crushed for a game-tying three-run home run.

The Hops would retake the lead in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI triple from Roberto Geronimo. That would prove to be the game winner.

Besides that rough third, Rodriguez (2-5) was once again pretty effective. He got the win, pitching six innings and allowing the three runs on six hits. Samuel Espinoza, Oliver Benedict and Vic Miller would not allow any baserunners over the final three innings with Miller picking up his 18th save.

Ken Smith (6-7) took the loss for the Hot Shots. He pitched five innings, allowing four runs on five hits.

Thomas Sanders made his Flagstaff debut on Thursday evening, going 2 for 4 with two singles.

On Friday night, the Hot Shots hit three home runs and scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth as they rallied to stun Flagstaff 7-5. Willie Reece hit his second home run of the game, a two-run shot of of Pedro Macias, to walk it off for the Hot Shots.

Flagstaff grabbed a 4-0 lead in the first inning. David Petrovski doubled home Roberto Geronimo to get the Hops on the board. Thomas Sanders then hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Forrest Owen followed that up with a two-run home run to put the Hops up by four.

Willie Reece homered off of Alex Farmer to get the Hot Shots on the board in the bottom of the first.

A Josh Carroll RBI double in the third cut the Hops lead to 4-2.

A David Benitez solo home run in the fourth put Flagstaff up 5-2. It was his 11th on the season.

Alex Farmer pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Oliver Benedict pitched a scoreless eighth. Vic Miller came on in the ninth and got shelled. He gave up a two-run home run to Paul Knapp and then a solo home run to Noah Wilson that tied the game at 5-5. It was his fourth blown save on the season.

Pedro Macias came on and gave up a single to J.J. Ruffin and then served up the walk-off game winning home run to Reece to end it.

On Saturday night, the Hot Shots hit three home runs and cruised to an 8-3 victory over the Hops. George Collins led the way with a double, home run and two RBIs to lead Prescott to the victory.

Flagstaff once again jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first. Art Mason hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that scored David Benitez. Grant Mitchell then lined a two-out RBI single to score Robbie Westbrook.

But the Hot Shots would score four times in the second off of Juro Yamaguchi. Harwill O'Kane singled home Josh Carroll. George Collins then doubled home Khris Kovach. The Hot Shots then hot two sac flies to make it 4-2.

A George Collins solo home run in the fourth made it 5-2. Ryan Meger and Josh Carroll then hit home runs in the fifth off of Yamaguchi that made it 8-2.

David Benitez would hit a solo home run in the eighth for the Hops, his 12th on the year.

Juro Yamaguchi (2-8) was awful again, allowing eight runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work. Kenneth Valdez pitched the final 3.2 innings, not allowing a run or a hit. For Prescott, it was a bullpen game with Mile Coburn (4-1) earned the win. He pitched 3.2 innings in relief and did not allow a hit.

Sunday saw IBL history as Russell Fluty threw the first no-hitter in league history and was two outs away from a perfect game, allowing a walk to Noah Wilson, in a 6-0 victory for the Hops in the series finale.

Fluty (3-7) was dominant, striking out seven and just issuing the one free pass in the ninth inning.

Offensively, the return of Oscar Aleman to the lineup, gave the Hops a much needed boost. He was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque with the injury to Grant Mitchell. Aleman went 3 for 4 with two home runs and he drove in three runs to help propel the Hops to the victory.

Roberto Geronimo got Flagstaff on the board in the fourth with a two-out, two-run double. Aleman then hit a two-run bomb to make it 4-0. They would add a run in the fifth as Robbie Westbrook scored as Emmitt Hampton grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Aleman would then hit his second home run of the game in the sixth, his fourth on the season.

But the story was Fluty and his historic performance. Incredibly, Rio Rancho's McIntyre came close on Sunday afternoon also, just giving up a solo home run in the seventh as he tossed a one-hitter.

The Hops will return home for a quick two game series against a team that they have never faced, Las Vegas (43-43), beginning Monday evening at 7:05. In a weird scheduling quirk, the Hops will then have two off days before hosting Colorado Springs (35-48) on Friday evening.

Notes: Grant Mitchell left the game in the second inning, injuring his shoulder diving for a foul ball. He will be placed in the Injured List and is expected to miss 4-8 weeks. Oscar Aleman has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Trades: Flagstaff makes another move as they send underperfoming 24-year-old Arturo Mardones (81 OVR, C POT) to El Paso for 29-year-old right fielder Thomas Sanders (80 OVR, B POT).

Around the League: Santa Fe's Ron Sposato (8-5) outdueled El Paso's Mark Donnellon (8-4), tossing a complete game one-hit shutout, as the Jays defeated the Express 5-0. Sposato only struck out one and walked five in the win. Corey Barton homered twice (16,17) and drove in three for the winning Jays.

Long Beach's Kyle Carroll went 2 for 4 with a home run and drove in two as the Surf Dawgs continued to play well, disposing of Henderson 8-3 to move up into second place in the DL West, behind surprising San Diego. Long Beach is (9-4) in their last 13 to pull to with two games of first place.

Former Hop Josh Ortega hit his first home run in San Antonio, but the Javelinas dropped a 5-2 decision to Fort Worth, moving the Kings just 1.5 games back of San Antonio in the ML East. Cal Velasco keyed a five run sixth inning for Fort Worth with a grand slam (8).

Chandler won the finale of a four-game weekend series with Mesa, 7-0, splitting the series. Mike Anderson (12), Cory Law (14) and Ervin Cordero (9) all homered for the Chiefs in the win, with Ramon Garcia (4-7) picking up the win, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing just one hit, while striking out nine and walking five in his first start since coming over from Flagstaff.

Long Beach completed the three-game sweep of Henderson on Sunday afternoon, scoring four times in the top of the ninth to pull out a 7-5 victory after the Silver Knights had scored five in the bottom of the eighth.

Rio Rancho's McIntyre (6-7) tossed a complete game one-hitter, only giving up a seventh inning solo home run to Luke Brady (17) in a 9-1 victory for the Owlz. McIntyre struck out 12 and did not walk a batter facing just 28 batters in the win.

The young right-hander showed why he was a top-prospect entering 2024.

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JUNE AWARDS:
ML Pitcher of Month: Freddie Crawford (CP, Fort Worth) (1-0) 3.38 ERA, 8 Saves, 22 K's
ML Player of Month: Emerson King (SS, Santa Fe) .397, 9 HR, 26 RBIs
ML Rookie of Month: Dave Lyon (SS, Colorado Springs) .309, 2 HR, 13 RBIs
DL Pitcher of Month: Maury Keith (CP, Surprise) 13 saves, 1.38 ERA, 13 K's
DL Player of Month: Jesus Galindo (1B, Salt River) .349, 9 HR, 24 RBIs
DL Rookie of Month: John Addington (C, Phoenix) .379, 1 HR, 2 RBIs

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Phoenix, AZ (AP) - With only two weeks to go until the All-Star Game in Fort Worth, here are the current vote leaders. In the Mountain League, Rio Rancho has three player leading at their positions: starting pitcher Rollie Flingers (546k votes), catcher David Dominguez (362k), and shortstop Eric Pressley (590k). First baseman Rick Singleton of Austin leads all Mountain League players with 695K votes. Starting pitcher Alex Farmer of Flagstaff, who leads the Mountain League in ERA and WHIP is currently second in votes for starting pitcher. Reliever Oliver Benedict currently leads the Mountain League relievers with 124k votes.

Over in the Desert League, Glendale and Chandler each have two players leading their positions with second baseman Zach Dossett of Chandler leading all vote getters at 648k.

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July 1-2, 2024: LAS VEGAS (45-43) @ FLAGSTAFF (37-51)
Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 13,406)

July 1: Nuggets 4, Hops 2
July 2: Nuggets 7, Hops 5

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops met the Las Vegas Nuggets for the first time in their history and suffered a two game sweep to drop the Hops 14 games below .500 for the first time in their history.

In the opener, the Nuggets scored twice in the first and rode that to a 4-2 victory over the Hops at AutoZone Park.

Orlando McIntyre got the Nuggets on the board first with an RBI double that scored Brandon Roush. John Lopez then doubled home McIntyre to make it 2-0 off of Ryan Pressley.

Forrest Owen would hit a solo home run in the fourth to get the Hops on the board, hi ninth on the season. But Vegas answered right back on a solo home run from Victor Resendez.

A David Benitez RBI single in the sixth scored Thomas Sanders to cut the Vegas lead to 3-2. But they would add another in the top of the seventh on a Kramer sac fly to make it 4-2.

Nigel Blake would get the final three outs for Vegas to earn his 27th save. Robert Cohen (4-3) picked up the win, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked just one. Ryan Pressley (6-8) took the loss for Flagstaff. He went six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits, while striking out four and walking one. Pedro Macias got the final nine outs without allowing a run in relief.

On Tuesday afternoon, Brandon Roush homered twice as the Nuggets blasted four home runs in a 7-5 victory to complete the two game sweep.

The Nuggets went up 1-0 in the second on Roush's first home run, a solo shot to left-center. They would increase that lead to 3-0 in the fourth on RBI singles from Hewitt and Tom Markley. A Herb Clark solo home run in the fifth put Las Vegas up 4-0 and it looked like they would cruise to victory.

A solo home run from Ryan Kelly in the bottom of the fifth got Flagstaff on the board, his 13th on the year. Thomas Sanders then hit a two-run home run in the sixth to cut it to 4-3, his first IBL home run.

Junior Lima hit a two-run home run off of reliever Sam Varela in the seventh to move Vegas in front 6-3. Brandon Roush then hit his second of the game and 10th of the season, off of Samuel Espinoza in the eighth to put the Nuggets up 7-3.

A David Benitez two-run single in the bottom of the eighth cut the lead to 7-5, but Nigel Blake came on and shut down the Hops to pick up his 28th save.

Geraldo Rodriguez (2-6) took the loss for Flagstaff. He pitched six innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. He struck out four.

Bradley York went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two runs scored in the loss. That lifted his average back above .200 at .204. Forrest Owen went 0 for 4 and grounded into three double plays to kill rallies.

The Hops (37-51) will now have the next two days off before hosting Colorado Springs in a battle for last place in the ML West.

Trades: San Diego made a big move on Thursday afternoon as they acquired 27-year-old right fielder Luke Brady (82 OVR, C POT) from Amarillo in exchange for 25-year-old starting pitcher Shelby Swaykos (71 OVR, C POT), 22-year-old closer Lance Anderson (68 OVR, A POT)and 25-year-old first baseman Chris Blair (58 OVR, C POT). Brady was hitting .271 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs for the Honey Hunters in 2024.

Around the League: San Antonio's Josh Ortega went 2 for 4 including a game winning solo home run in the tenth as the Javelinas managed to split a big four game series with Fort Worth with a 5-4 extra innings victory. Ortega drove in three of the Javelina's runs.

Salt Lake's J.P. Grant homered and drove in a run as the Chukars defeated Prescott 4-2. Grant is hitting .351 and now has 12 home runs.

San Diego's Matt Campbell (7-6) struck out 12 in seven innings of work as the Seals defeated Salt River 5-4. Dan Rodriguez's sixth inning grand slam (14) proved to be the difference for the first-place Seals. Salt River hit three home runs in the loss (Garcia, Galindo and Kim).

Scottsdale's Jaime Pacheco improved to (11-4), tossing seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits, while striking out eight, in a 9-4 victory for the Scorpions over Goodyear. Lee Lim went 3 for 5 with a home run and drove in four for the victorious Scorpions.

Rio Rancho's Rollie Flingers improved to an IBL best (14-2) as the Owlz pounded Austin 12-5. Flingers went eight innings, allowing two run son six hits, while striking out eight and walking five. Flingers is neck and neck with Flagstaff's Alex Farmer in the Cy Young race in the Mountain League.

Salt River's Alex Villarreal homered twice (8,9) and drove in six as the Rafters defeated San Diego 8-6 to take two of three from the DL West leaders. The Rafters are 9-1 in their last ten and are now above .500 at (45-44) and squarely in the DL Wild Card race.

Las Vegas' Victor Resendez homered twice and drove in four, including a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth as Vegas defeated Mesa 8-7. The Nuggets have now won three straight and six of seven.

Brandon Roush and Las Vegas swept the Hops in their first ever meeting.

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July 5-7, 2024: COLORADO SPRINGS (37-52) @ FLAGSTAFF (38-53)
Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 13,406)

July 5: Hops 9, Snow Sox 3
July 6: Snow Sox 4, Hops 2
July 7: Snow Sox 3, Hops 1

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - The Colorado Springs Snow Sox came into Flagstaff on a losing streak and ended that by taking two of three from the Hops in a battle of ML West bottom feeders.

The Hops would rally from an early deficit to defeat the Snow Sox 9-3 in the opener of the weekend series. Emmitt Hampton went 2 for 4 with a home run and drove in three to help pace the Hops to the win.

The Snow Sox got off to a quick start as Mike Rock homered in the first off of Alex Farmer. They would extend that lead to 2-0 in the fourth on a solo home run from Juan Primo.

Flagstaff would strike in the sixth as Emmitt Hampton singled home Robbie Westbrook to get the Hops on the scoreboard. Art Mason then hit a grand slam to put the Hops in front to stay, his 13th on the year. After the Snow Sox got one back in the top of the seventh, the Hops would score three more in the bottom half, capped off by an Emmitt Hampton two-run home run, his 12th on the year.

Bradley York would drive in another in the eighth with an RBI double.

Alex Farmer (12-3) picked up the win, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out seven. Brian Chin (3-8) was credited with the loss. He lasted just 5.1 innings and gave up five runs on five hits, while striking out four and walking one.

On a cloudy Saturday afternoon, the Snow Sox broke a five game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Hops. Jamie Case keyed the victory, going 2 for 3 with a home run and three runs driven in.

Robbie Westbrook got things going in the bottom of the first inning, smashing a solo home run to right-center that put the Hops up 1-0.

Juan Primo would tie it up in the fourth with a solo home run off of Juro Yamaguchi. Jamie Case would then end Yamaguchi's afternoon in the seventh as he hit a hanging curveball over the wall in left. That two-run home run put the Snow Sox up 3-1.

Art Mason would hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2, his 14th of the season.

But a big RBI single from Jamie Case in the top of the ninth that scored Todd Austin added a huge insurance run.

Julio Sanchez came on in the bottom of the ninth and walked Art Mason and gave up a single to Roberto Geronimo. But then worked his way out of trouble, striking out Bradley York and then getting Ryan Kelly to ground into a game ending 5-4-3 double play, one pitch after Kelly hammered a ball over the fence that was just a few feet foul.

Juro Yamaguchi (2-9) pitched well, but made two mistakes that cost him. He allowed three runs on five hits in six plus innings. He struck out eight and walked two.Humberto Aguilar (7-8) picked up the victory for the Snow Sox to snap their losing streak. He went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out six.

On Sunday afternoon, the Snow Sox got a couple of big home runs to power past Flagstaff 3-1 to win the series. Jamie Case once again came through with a two-run home run that proved to be the game winner for Colorado Springs.

Case hit the two-run home run off of Russell Fluty in the fifth inning to put the Snow Sox up 2-0. Fluty was very good again but made a couple of mistakes and it cost him. He is coming off the first ever no-hitter in IBL history in his last start.

Robbie Westbrook would get the Hops on the board in the sixth with an RBI single.

Juan Primo hit a solo home run that ended Russell Fluty's day in the seventh. It was Primo's 12th of the season.

Colorado Springs got 5.1 innings of work from starter Wolf (4-6). He allowed one run on six hits and struck out six. The bullpen got the final 11 outs with Julio Sanchez once again picking up the save, his fifth, navigating through the ninth and getting David Benitez to strike out with a man on to end the ball game.

Flagstaff (38-53) will now head to Salt Lake (47-43) for a four game series beginning tomorrow evening before hosting St George (49-42) to end the first half of the season as the teams head into the All-Star break.

Around the League: Las Vegas' Brandon Roush continued his hot hitting going 2 for 3 with a walk-off solo home run (11) in the bottom of the 11th as the Nuggets defeated Mesa 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.

Fresno's Percy Sievers went 1 for 3 with a three-run home run as the Bears defeated Henderson 4-2 on Saturday. Lamont Vann worked a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 26th save in 29 opportunities for Fresno.

Salt Lake's Adolfo Villarreal (7) and Robby Payne (13) hit hit two-run home runs to power the Chukars to a 4-1 victory over St George to move within a half game of first place in the ML West.

In an odd game, Glendale defeated Surprise 14-7 in a game that featured three innings where a team scored seven runs. The Desert Dogs scored seven in the first and eighth innings with Surprise putting up a seven spot in the fifth. Glendale's Clinton Lake went 3 for 5 with two home runs (14,15) and drove in six to help pace the Desert Dogs to the wild victory.

Scottsdale's Martin Perez homered twice (15,16) and drove in four as the Scorpions blanked Phoenix 14-0. Jaime Pacheco (12-4) pitched 8.1 shutout innings, scattering four hits as he struck out eight and walked three.

Fort Worth extended their lead in the ML East with a 5-4 victory over slumping Austin. Pablo Feliz went 2 for 4 with a double, home run (15) and three RBIs to pace the Kings to their tenth win in their last 12 games.

Zach Dossett's bases clearing three-run double in the top of the ninth keyed a five run Chandler rally as they slipped past Roswell 11-6 on Sunday afternoon. Dossett drove in four as the Chiefs increased their lead in the DL East to 13.5 games over Salt River.

Jamie Case and the Snow Sox added to the misery of the 2024 season in Flagstaff.