Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 9,486)
May 20: Hops 7, Kings 1
May 21: Kings 6, Hops 3
May 22: Hops 6, Kings 5
Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops closed out their home stand by taking two of three from the ML East leading Fort Worth Kings. This was a matchup of the two best pitching staffs in the IBL, but the offenses and the long ball were the story in this series.
The Hops continued their red-hot baseball in Friday night’s opener as they cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Kings. Oscar Aleman went 4 for 4 with two doubles, and a home run to help pace Flagstaff to their season high fourth consecutive victory.
Fort Worth got out to an early lead in this one, scoring in the top of the first inning off of Sam Herzog. Pablo Feliz led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a single to left by Freddie Dominguez. He would score on a Klaus sac fly to make it 1-0.
That lead was short lived as Rodney Millar hit a towering three-run blast in the bottom half of the first off of Fort Worth’s ace Gabriel Carmona. Skyler Lyons would single home Josh Ortega in the fourth to make it 4-1.
Rodney Millar would pick up another RBI in the sixth, hitting a sacrifice fly to right center, scoring Oscar Aleman to make it 5-1. An Art Mason RBI single in the seventh would add another run. Oscar Aleman would homer to left in the eighth to make it 7-1. It was his seventh on the season.
Millar and Aleman would go 6 for 6 in the game with three doubles and two home runs, driving in five of the seven Flagstaff runs.
Sam Herzog (4-2) went seven strong innings, allowing one run on just four hits. He struck out three and walked one. Also Osuna worked the eighth and Pedro Macias pitched the ninth. Macias has struggled lately, but struck out two and did allow a single.
Fort Worth’s ace Gabriel Carmona (5-2) took the loss, lasting just five innings and surrendering four runs on five hits. He struck out four and walked two.
On Saturday evening, the Fort Worth Kings rallied twice late to pull out a 6-3 victory over Flagstaff to snap their four game winning streak. Eddie Francisco’s three run home run in the top of the eighth was the difference for the visitors.
Flagstaff would take a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to an Oscar Aleman home run, his eighth on the season. They would extend that lead to 2-0 in the fourth on a Rodney Millar RBI single that scored Roberto Geronimo.
A Randy Klaus solo home run, his 15th, would get Fort Worth on the board in the sixth.
Flagstaff would go to their bullpen to start the seventh with Oliver Benedict coming on in relief of Robert Francis. He gave up a one-out double to Carlisle and then a two-out RBI double to Newman that tied the game at 2-2. It was his third blown save on the season.
Donnie Roland would get that run back in the bottom of the seventh with an opposite field solo shot to put Flagstaff back out in front, 3-2.
But in the eighth, Benedict gave up a leadoff double before being pulled. Cal Velasco then lined a one-out single to left off of Aldo Osuna, allowing Freddie Dominguez to score to tie the ballgame at 3-3. Moran reached on an infield single and then it was Eddie Francisco that unloaded on a hanging slider, hitting it 420 feet to left to put Fort Worth out in front 6-3.
Noah Smallwood would work the ninth for the Kings to pick up his 13th save.
Osuna (1-1) would take the loss out of the bullpen for Flagstaff, giving up three run son three hits in 1/3 of an inning. Neither starter figured in the decision, but both pitched well. Pena went 6 1/3 for Fort Worth, allowing three runs on six hits, while Francis went six innings for the Hops, allowing one run on four hits.
In Sunday afternoon’s finale, the Hops used home runs from Emmitt Hampton and Skyler Lyons to hold off a late Fort Worth rally, 6-5. The win enabled the Hops to finish (6-3) in the nine game home stand, and moved them into second place in the ML West.
The Hops would grab an early lead on a Roberto Geronimo sac fly in the first inning.
A Randy Kraus two-run blast put Fort Worth in front 2-1 in the top of the fourth. It was his 16th on the year, tying him for the league lead. But Skyler Lyons had an answer in the bottom half, hitting a two-out, three-run home run to help Flagstaff retake the lead 4-2.
Emmitt Hampton would add a long home run in the fifth to make it 5-3. The ball was estimated at 458 feet.
An Eddie Francisco RBI double in the top of the sixth would cut into the Hops lead. Francisco had been red hot this series. But once again, the Hops had an answer in the bottom half. This time Kiko Pressley lined an RBI single to center, scoring Josh Ortega to make it 6-3.
Catcher Devin Rivera would hit a home run in the seventh off of Shoe-Lace O’Tying to cut the lead to two. That would be O’Tying’s last batter. He picked up the win to improve to (5-1). He went 7 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Vic Miller would come on in the ninth and he made it exciting. He served up a lead off solo home run to P.J. Woodson to cut the lead to 6-5. After getting the next two guys out, Pablo Feliz singled to center and stole second. But Miller got Dominguez to fly out to center to end it as he earned his 10th save.
Flagstaff (24-22) will hit the road for seven games, travelling to Albuquerque (24-23) for three and San Antonio (26-21) for four.
Around the League: El Paso drew seven walks and scored eight runs in the first inning as the Blue Rocks defeated Prescott 9-3.

Oscar Aleman continues to play well as the Hops rise up the standings.
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