Intermountain Baseball League - Presented by BigJdotcom01

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May 26-29: FLAGSTAFF (25-28) @ SAN ANTONIO (31-23)
Stadium: Huntington Park (Capacity: 9,421)

May 26: Javelinas 7, Hops 2
May 27: Javelinas 10, Hops 2
May 28: Javelinas 7, Hops 4
May 29: Javelinas 3, Hops 2

San Antonio, TX (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops ended their seven game road trip with a disastrous sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Javeilnas. They have now lost a season high six straight games as they head home.

The Javelinas cruised to a rather east 7-2 victory in the opener of the four game weekend series. Sam Morgan provided the pop, going 2 for 3 with a double, home run and driving in two in the victory.

Flagstaff has a chance to blow things open early against San Antonio ace Gus Woodson as they had the bases loaded with just one out, but could only manage two runs on a two-run double from Kiko Pressley. After that Woodson just shut down the Hops. He went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked three in picking up his fourth win on the campaign.

Sam Morgan would give San Antonio the lead in the fourth when he hit a two-run home run to left, putting the Javelinas up 3-2. They would add three more in the fifth on an RBI double from Brian Gonzales, and RBI singles from Emil Palmiero and T.J. Hart.

Sam Morgan would add a solo home run in the seventh off of Pedro Macias to make it 7-2.

Brian Montano earned the rare three-inning save, his first on the season.

Injury news for the Hops as catcher Rafael Perez was injured sliding into second in the eighth inning. At first the club feared the worst, but x-rays were negative after the game. The club has placed him on the 10-day Injured List. 27-year-old catcher Phillip Choi has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

On Friday evening the Javelinas brought their big sticks, hitting five home runs in a 10-2 rout out the Hops. It was hard to pick out one guy, but T.J. Hart was the player of the game, going 2 for 5 with a double, home run and three RBIs.

Shoe Lace O’Tying (5-2) was knocked around in his worst performance this season. He went six plus innings, allowing six runs on 13 hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

San Antonio starter Ted McClendon had to leave the game in the top of the second inning with an apparent shoulder injury.

Josh Ortega (5) and Rodney Millar (16) both homered for the Hops in the fifth inning when they cut the lead to 4-2 at that time. But they would get no closer. T.J. Hart hit a three-run shot in the seventh and Zach Lamb hit a two-run shot in the eighth to put this one out of reach.

On Saturday afternoon, the Javelinas scored five times in the first inning on their way to a 7-4 victory to extend the Hops season high losing streak to five games. Sam Morgan went 2 for 4 with a double, home run and three RBIs. He has been a thorn in the side of the Hops all series long.

Sean Pressley struggled out of the gate, but got it together after the first and went six innings. In the first, Brian Gonzalez led off with a double and score on an Emil Palmiero RBI single. Sam Morgan then homered down the right field line after Palmiero was picked off trying to steal. Davis Hernandez then blasted a three run shot to make it 5-0.

Flagstaff would chip away at the lead though. Art Mason homered in the third. And Oscar Aleman lined a two-run double in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3. Newly acquired Leandro Lugo almost gave the Hops the lead but left fielder Matsui robbed him of a home run to keep it 5-3.

The Javelinas would put this one away in the seventh as Sam Morgan rattled a two-run double off the wall in right center off of reliever Samuel Espinoza.

Flagstaff would add a run in the eighth on an Arturo Mardones RBI single. They had a chance to pull even closer but Art Mason popped out to short to end the inning with runners on second and third.

Andres Montoya (2-4) picked up the win for San Antonio. He went six inning, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out three and walked three. John Smith picked up his 13th save working the ninth. Sean Pressley (2-4) took the loss, allowing five runs on nine hits in six innings of work, but he only allowed three hits after the first inning. He struck out five and walked one. Miguel Asencio struck out the side in one inning of relief.

In the finale, once again Flagstaff could not come up with timely hitting, twice leaving the bases loaded, in a 3-2 loss to the Javelinas to complete the sweep. T.J. Hart went 4 for 4 with a double, home run and RBI, scoring twice in the victory.

Steve Hubbard (1-4) pitched well but left the game in the sixth in a tie game with the bases loaded and none out. Miguel Asencio got Matsui to pop out, and got Hernandez to hit a line drive right at Donnie Roland, but Roland looked like he had never seen the ball coming and did what he could to get out of the way as two runs scored to make it 3-1 Javelinas.

The Hops would score a run on a Robbie Westbrook sac fly in the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2, but only managing one run while having the bases loaded with none out was huge.

Russ Waters (4-3) picked up the win, going six innings and allowing one run on seven hits. He struck out two and walked one. The Javelinas used five bullpen arms to close out the Hops with John Smith picking up his 14th save.

Leandro Lugo went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and is now 0 for 8 since coming over from Henderson.

The Hops (25-28) will try and end their six game losing streak as they head home for three games against Amarillo (26-26) and four against West Texas (23-30).

Around the League: Albuquerque’s Michael Kaminski tossed a complete game two-hit shutout of St. George, striking out nine and walking just one as he improved to (4-5). Scottsdale’s Arellano pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out 11 in a 1-0 loss to Surprise. San Diego scored five times in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally to a 7-3 victory and end Long Beach’s 11 game winning streak.

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T.J. Hart and the Javelinas “river walked” all over the Hops in a four game sweep in Texas.

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Hops Trade for Lugo

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops addressed a big need on Saturday morning as they traded for slugger Leandro Lugo from the Henderson Silver Knights. The third baseman will move right into the lineup as the club has sent 18-year-old Kiko Pressley down to Triple-A Albuquerque to work on his game. Pressley is a highly rated prospect, but has struggled so far in 2022.

The Hops sent back three prospects to the Silver Knights. 18-year-old center fielder Oscar Romo, 19-year-old right fielder Calvin Gaudio and 24-year-old reliever Terrance Malone went sent to Henderson.

“Offensively, we have struggled at times, and we have all the confidence that Kiko will develop into a star, but right now we picked up a player that can help us win right now and allow Pressley to develop,” said general manager Mister Ninja.

Lugo has played in 39 games for Henderson, hitting (.309) with 10 homers and 24 RBI to go along with four stolen bases.

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MAY AWARDS:
ML Pitcher of Month: Emmett Franco (Salt Lake) 9 saves, 0.00 ERA, 10 K’s
ML Player of month: Ryan Williams (Santa Fe) .371 AVG, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs
ML Rookie of month: Ryan Williams (Santa Fe) .371 AVG, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs
DL Pitcher of Month: Diego Coronado (Glendale) 16 saves, 1.80 ERA, 18 K’s
DL Player of Month: Adrian Esperza (Long Beach) .424 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBIs
DL Rookie of Month: Ned Little (Gilbert) .403 AVG, 7 HRs, 21 RBIs

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May 30 - June 1: AMARILLO (26-29) @ FLAGSTAFF (28-28)
Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 9,486)

May 30: Hops 5, Honey Hunters 1
May 31: Hops 10, Honey Hunters 7 (11)
June 1: Hops 8, Honey Hunters 7

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops returned home on a six game losing streak and earned a hard fought sweep of the Amarillo Honey Hunters, winning the last two by rallying and finishing it off in walk off fashion.

In the opener, a Memorial Day matinee, the Hops defeated the Honey Hunters 5-1 to put an end to their six-game losing streak. Sam Herzog (5-2) picked up the win as he continues his impressive 2022 campaign.

The Hops grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the second on a Forrest Owen RBI single to center that scored Leandro Lugo.

The Honey Hunters would tie it up in the fourth as David Petrovski hit a no doubter into the right field bleachers into a stiff breeze.

Flagstaff would answer right back with two in the bottom half on a Forrest Owen two-run single. They would add another in the fifth on a Rodney Millar ground out with the bases loaded. Red hot Oscar Aleman would make it 5-1 in the sixth with an RBI single to right that score Robbie Westbrook.

The rest was about Sam Herzog. He went six innings, allowing the one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked three, while lowering his ERA to 2.33, best in the Mountain League. Aldo Osuna worked a three inning save in relief of Herzog, allowing just two hits and striking out three while throwing 51 pitches.

Felipe Gomez (4-4) took the loss for Amarillo. He only went four plus innings, allowing four runs on ten hits. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

The Hops won a wild one on Tuesday evening, twice blowing three run leads, then winning on a walk-off home run in eleven innings, 10-7. Art Mason was the hero, going 4 for 5, but the big one was a three-run home run with none out in the 11th that sent the fans home happy.

This one got off to a wild start. Flagstaff scored three in the first thanks to a two-run double from Roberto Geronimo and a solo home run from Rodney Millar. It could have been an even bigger inning but Geronimo was thrown out at third trying to stretch the double into a triple.

Amarillo immediately responded in the top of the second with a crooked number of their own. Floyd hit a two-run home run, then Watson and Castaneda hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game at 3-3.

Oscar Aleman would put Flagstaff back up by three in the bottom of the third as he blasted a three-run home run to left, his tenth on the year.

But in the top of the fourth, Amarillo responded, scoring four times to take the lead, off of starter Robert Francis. Castaneda laced an RBI single to right to score Wallace. Then Sweet hit a long three-run bomb to right to make it 7-6.

Oscar Aleman came through again in the bottom half of the inning, singling home Art Mason with two-outs to tie the game at 7-7.

The bullpens then took over and things settled down with neither team scoring again until extra innings. Forrest Owen doubled off of the wall in center to open the 11th. He just missed a home run by inches. Arturo Mardones was then hit by a pitch to setup first and second with none out. Art Mason then hit a no doubter over the bleachers in right to walk it off in a 10-7 victory.

After a wild start that saw Robert Francis get shelled, allowing seven runs on ten hits in 3 1/3 innings, the bullpen allowed just three base runners over the final 7 2/3 innings. Mark Wirth, Samuel Espinoza, Pedro Macias, and Oliver Benedict were on top of their game.

In the finale, the Hops rallied from 7-3 down in the fifth inning, scoring twice in the seventh and three times in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off 8-7. Emmitt Hampton hit a two-run home run with one out in the ninth to win it as Flagstaff got back to the .500 mark.

This was another wild one, as starter Shoe Lace O’Tying was just plain awful. He gave up seven runs on nine hits, including five home runs, in just 4 2/3 innings. He had trouble with his command all day, walking two and leaving plenty of balls in hittable spots. The Honey Hunters big blow cam in the fifth when Stanton Brickman hit a three-run shot to put the visitors in command, 7-3.

But this Flagstaff team also brought the big sticks on Wednesday afternoon, hitting four home runs of their own. Skyler Lyons and Art Mason hit back-to-back homers to open the seventh. Then in a wild bottom of the ninth, Skyler Lyons doubled to open the inning. Art Mason lined a ball off the first base bag and into right field, scoring Lyons. Robbie Westbrook would ground into a fielder’s choice, but advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Honey Hunters decided to pull their closer and bring in Harold Groniga. He fell behind 2-0 to Emmitt Hampton and then hung a slider that Hampton hammered into the right field bleachers to win it.

Peter Gorzelski (2-3) picked up the win out of the bullpen, getting the final six outs and allowing no hits.

The first year player draft is this evening. Hops (28-28) will welcome the West Texas Bison (26-30) into town for a four game series to end the home stand starting tomorrow evening.

Around the League: Phoenix hit seven home runs including two each by Keith Morales, Darren McCarty and Michael Yancey in a 17-5 victory over Tucson.

Art Mason and the Hops celebrated a walk off win on Tuesday evening over the Honey Hunters.

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June 1, 2022
Phoenix, AZ (AP) - The IBL held their First Year Player Draft on Thursday evening in Phoenix. It consisted of six rounds with the draft order determined in the first year by a lottery. Compensatory picks were given to teams based a predetermined formula after the inaugural player draft back in the winter.

The top overall pick was 19-year-old pitcher Barack Bichette out of Pennsylvania by the Gilbert Barnstormers. He is a highly rated prospect but will need some time in the minors before he can make an impact in Gilbert. The Prescott Hot Shots picked third baseman Jaime Rosa second overall. Long Beach selected pitcher Josh Yoshida third overall. He may have a chance to play in Long Beach as soon as 2024. The Albuquerque Mariachis selected 19-year-old centerfielder Emmitt Divino, an absolute stud that may be able to make an impact from day one. Rounding out the top five, San Antonio selected 19-year-old first baseman Brandon Conley.

Flagstaff selected 10th overall and had arguably the best draft. Their first pick was 21-year-old starting pitcher Jared Gunter, who comes in with an OVR rating of 75 and potential in the 90’s. Their seven selections had an average overall rating of 67.86 (1st) and average potential of 84.57 (4th). Flagstaff went heavily in on starting pitching, but selected an electric closer and future stud outfielder.

Here is a look at the first round and breakdown of the potentials and overalls of each team’s draft. The number indicates their draft position.

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2022 FLAGSTAFF HOPS DRAFT

Phoenix, AZ (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops completed their first draft and they knocked it out of the park. They wanted to add some young starting pitchers and that is just what they did. They were awarded pick #10 in each round after a pre-draft lottery.

With their first selection that chose left-handed starting pitcher Jared Gunter from Stanford. The 21-year-old has an A potential and already rating as a 75 OVR prospect. He features a 4-seam fastball, change up, curve and slider. The 6’2” 222 lb pitcher out of California will liley start next season in Double A.

In the supplemental round, the Hops selected another starting pitcher in Johnnie Sabel out of the University of Delaware. The 6’2’ 198 lb right hander will need some seasoning down in the minors, but he has a B potential and is already rated as a 68 OVR. He has a four pitch repertoire of a rising fastball, change up, curveball and slider.

The Hops second round pick saw them select their first position player in high school first baseman Steven Graves out of Illinois. The 6’5” 197 lb prospect, bats lefty but throws right handed. He has excellent plate vision and discipline, but will need to bulk up a bit and work on his power numbers if he wants to stay at first base.

Flagstaff chose Ronald Young with the tenth pick of the third round. The 22-year-old is a 6’1” and 195 lb closing pitcher out of Texas that went to Baylor. The righty features four pitches and is rated a 66 OVR but has A potential. He throws a 4-seamer, splitter, change up and two-seamer.

In the fourth round the Hops selected right fielder Gil Molina out of the Dominican Republic. The 20-year-old has blazing speed but will need to work on his contact and power in the minors. He is a C potential prospect that will likely not see Flagstaff until at least 2026.

Ross Preston, another left handed starting pitcher was selected in the fifth round out of Indiana. At 6’5’ and 229 lbs, he is a flame thrower with a fastball in the mid-90’s. He is rated a 70 OVR but only a C potential. He is likely a 2026+ prospect.

The Hops final selection was right handed starter Benjamin Anderson. At 69 OVR and a C prospect, the 5’11” 175 lb-er out of Oregon has a five pitch arsenal.

This group had the fourth highest potential (84.57) behind only El Paso, Gilbert and St George. They were tops in OVR with an average of (67.86) ahead of Las Vegas, Glendale, Colorado Springs and Mesa. It is a great combination of skill and potential that should setup Flagstaff in the coming years.

All seven draft picks have agreed to terms and will report to camp in the spring of 2023.

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June 2-5: WEST TEXAS (28-32) @ FLAGSTAFF (30-30)
Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 9,486)

June 2: Hops 2, Bison 1
June 3: Bison 10, Hops 1
June 4: Hops 4, Bison 1
June 5: Bison 5, Hops 2

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops and West Texas Bison split a four game weekend series at AutoZone Park to end the home stand. The Hops took games one and three with the Bison winning in a blowout in game two, and then taking the finale.

In the opener, Ryan Pressley tossed an absolute gem as the Flagstaff Hops slipped past the West Texas Bison 2-1. Pressley went 8 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and one run, while striking out nine and walking none.

West Texas lone run came on a solo home run from Earl Phelps in the second inning. They would not get another hit the rest of the way. Vic Miller came in to record the final two outs and earn his 12th save.

Flagstaff would get single runs in the second and third innings to provide all the offense that Pressley would need. A third inning RBI double from Forrest Owen tied the ball game, and a fourth inning solo home run from Roberto Geronimo, his 18th, would prove to be the winner.

On Friday night, the Bison rebounded in a big way with a 10-1 romp over the Hops. Alfonzo Ryan went 2 for 5 with two home runs and five RBIs to help lead the way as the Bison cruised to the easy win.

Douglas Matsui (4-4) was just about unhittable, tossing 6 1/3 innings and allowing just one run on two hits. He struck out six and walked only one.

Steve Hubbard (1-5) was once again lousy, putting it bluntly. The highest paid player on the Hops is easily their worst starter and Friday night he was shelled. He allowed six runs on ten hits in just 4 2/3 innings.

Roberto Geronimo hit a solo home run in the seventh for Flagstaff’s only run. It was his 19th dinger on the season. The Bison hit five home runs in the game against a Flagstaff staff that has now given up 104 home runs in 58 games, worst in all of the IBL.

On Saturday evening, Sam Herzog was once again in good form as he tossed six innings, allowing just one run in a 4-1 victory for the Hops over the Bison. Herzog struck out seven and did not issue a walk as he improved to (6-2) on the season.

The Bison would grab the lead in the top of the first as Brian Lee homered to right. It was his first on the year.

Josh Ortega, Arturo Mardones and Art Mason hit solo home runs for Flagstaff. Robbie Westbrook would add an RBI single to help Flagstaff move back over .500.

Vic Miller worked the ninth to pick up his 13th save. Miguel Asencio struck out the side in the seventh and Aldo Osuna worked a 1-2-3 eighth in relief of Sam Herzog.

Robbie Westbrook (14) and Arturo Mardones (12) each stole a base in the victory.

In the finale, the Bison got a nice pitching performance from Todd McCallum and a big insurance two-run home run from David Razae to escape with a split of the four game series.

David Razae got things going in the first with a double. He would advance to third on a fly out and scored on a Quinones sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.

The Hops would tie it up in the second on an RBI triple from Leandro Lugo. He would score on a passed ball to give Flagstaff a 2-1 lead.

That lead was short lived though as Alfonzo Ryan lined a bases-loaded single to left in the third that scored two runs to put West Texas back on top. That was all that Todd McCallum would need. McCallum (3-5) pitched six solid innings, allowing the two runs on just five base hits. He struck out three and walked three. Four arms out of the bullpen got the final nine outs without allowing a hit. Matthew Ball earned his 18th save as he worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

Robert Francis (2-4) took the loss for Flagstaff. He went six plus innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out one and did not walk a batter. Pedro Macias got the final out of the seventh to get Samuel Espinoza out of a jam, but surrendered a big two-run home run to David Rezae in the ninth.

Robbie Westbrook (15) and Arturo Mardones (13) each stole another base in the loss.

Flagstaff (30-30) will now head out on the road to face Salt Lake (23-36) and St George (32-28) for six games beginning Tuesday evening in Salt Lake City.

Around the League: Goodyear’s Ionatana Wiliama tossed eight shutout innings and scattered three hits while striking out 12 and walking seven in a 1-0 victory over Surprise. St. George’s Ryan Holland fans 14, and allows zero runs in win versus Roswell. Salt River’s Elias Sbarbori tossed a two-hit shutout, striking out nine in a 7-0 victory over Phoenix. Glendale’s McCormick homered twice and drove in six in a 15-3 victory over Gilbert.

Ryan Pressley tossed a gem in the opener, striking out nine in a 2-1 victory.

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June 7-9: FLAGSTAFF (30-33) @ SALT LAKE (26-36)
Stadium: Deseret Field (Capacity: 6,860)

June 7: Chukars 4, Hops 2 (12)
June 8: Chukars 6, Hops 5
June 9: Chukars 4, Hops 2

Salt Lake City, UT (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops sleepwalked through a three game sweep at the hands of last place Salt Lake up to Utah to start their road trip.

The Chuckars won in dramatic fashion in the opener as J.P. Grant hit a two-run walk-off home run on a rainy Tuesday evening in downtown Salt Lake City to help the home team win it 4-2.

Flagstaff got a couple of great pitching performances from Shoe Lace O’Tying and Aldo Osuna, but it wasn’t enough as Miguel Asencio (5-2) gave up a single and home run to the only two batters that he would face. O’Tying went seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out nine and walking just one. Osuna faced twelve batters and did not allow a base runner, striking out six, as he lowered his ERA to 2.51.

Flagstaff managed twelve hits, but only one for extra bases in the loss. They also stole four more bases with Westbrook getting his 16th. The Hops trailed 2-1 in the eighth, but Emmitt Hampton lined a two-out double off of the wall in left to score Roberto Geronimo to tie the game at 2-2. Hampton went 3 for 5 with the double, RBI and also scored a run. Forrest Owen also had three hits, all singles, in the loss.

Things did not go much better for the Hops on Wednesday evening as they dropped a 6-5 decision to the Chukars. David Rosas did most of the damage for Salt Lake, going 3 for 3 with two home runs and four RBIs to help lead the Chukars to the victory.

Salt Lake would grab a lead in the first inning on a Juan Chavez RBI double.

The Hops would strike back in the top of the second as Forrest Owen hit a three-run shot to left, his fourth on the year to make it 3-1. The Chukars would get that back in the bottom half of the inning on a David Rosas two-run blast to left,

Roberto Geronimo would hit his league leading 20th home run on the season in the top of the third to put Flagstaff back up, 4-3.

Back-to-back home runs from David Rosas and Hideo Yoshida in the fifth put the Chukars in front for good. They would add a run in the sixth on a Rosas RBI single to go up 6-4.

Flagstaff would scratch across a run in the seventh on an Art Mason RBI double, but they would leave the bases loaded as Emmitt Hampton blasted a laser, but right at left fielder Hideo Yoshida to end the inning.

Emmitt Franco came on in the ninth to pick up his 15th save for Salt Lake.

Ryan Pressley (3-5) took the loss. He struggled in this one, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. He struck out four and walked one. Oliver Benedict pitched the finals 2 2/3 innings and scattered three hits and struck out four.

Virgil Wray (3-6) picked up the win for Salt Lake, going six innings and allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out three. The bullpen used four arms to get the final nine outs.

In the finale, the Chukars got off to a quick start and then held on for a 4-2 victory to earn the three game sweep. Len Rainey tossed six solid innings to earn the victory as Flagstaff lost their fourth straight.

The Chukars got off to a great start, scoring twice in the first thanks to a J.P. Grant RBI double and Chavez RBI single. They would add to that lead in the second thanks to a Larry Butler solo shot.

Flagstaff would get on the board in the third on an Emmitt Hampton two-run home run, his eighth on the year.

Adolfo Villarreal would hit a solo home run for Salt Lake in the fourth to increase their lead to 4-2. Len Rainey (3-6) picked up the win, tossing six innings and allowing two runs on five hits. The bullpen allowed just one hit over the final three innings with Emmett Franco picking up his 16th save.

Steve Hubbard (1-6) took the loss. He went six innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out six. Hubbard is the highest paid player on the Hops roster and has struggled so far in 2022. There are rumors that the Hops are trying to move him for some younger arms.

Flagstaff (30-33) will now head to St George for a three game series with the Archers to wrap up the road trip.

Around the League: Prescott’s Ken Smith tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory over Santa Fe. He struck out four and walked five as he improved to (5-3). Colorado Springs’ Sam Gonzalez improved to (9-1) as he tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings in an 8-0 victory over Phoenix. He scattered five hits while striking out two and walking six.

David Rosas hit two homers on Wednesday evening to help lead the Chukars to victory.