Nick Gorneault hit his second homer in as many days, but Danny Klassen had the big hit, a 3 run walk off homer with 2 outs in the 9th to give the Express a 7-6 win.

Corpus Christi

Brad James continues to show he has adjusted to AA hitting with an impressive six innings of shutout work where he only allowed 4 hits and two walks while striking out 3. He got his first win of the season and dropped his ERA down to 1.59. He was efficient only throwing 77 pitches in 6 innings.

James did dodge one bullet in the second:

Northwest Arkansas had a chance to take the early lead in the second inning. Irving Falu opened with a single, and he advanced to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Cody Clark, giving the Naturals runners and first and third with one out.

However, Ovandy Suero followed with a grounder to Hooks’ first baseman Rob Cosby, who stepped on first and made a perfect throw to second base to get Clark before Falu reached home — ending the inning.

“I’m glad (Falu) didn’t run hard to the plate,” Pujols said. “Because we got the double play before he crossed the plate.

“But that’s their problem. I’m glad he didn’t do it.”

James left with a 1-0 lead but a 4 run 8th put the game out of reach. The big inning was highlighted by Cosby’s 3 run homer.

Salem

Salem pulled within a run of Fredrick with a 3 run 8th but couldn’t catch them in a 5-4 defeat. Jordan Parraz and Cesar Quintero hit homers in the 8th to get the Avs close.

David Qualben took the loss for the Avs giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in just 4 innings. He didn’t pick anyone off and had 3 stolen bases on him and battery mate Koby Clemens.

Speaking of Koby, the Boston Globe did a piece on the minor connection between Clemens and the Red Sox since the Fenway Group purchased the Avs. It speaks openly about their plan to move the Red Sox high A team there from the California League next season, displacing the Astros farm team.

Salem Manager Jim Pankovits, a Richmond VA native, was interviewed by the Richmond paper about what it will take to find a team to replace the soon to be departing Richmond Braves.

“A new facility could attract a quality organization to start a long relationship like the Atlanta Braves had there in Richmond,” Pankovits said from Salem. “It would be nice if there was local ownership that could take the initiative to get the ball rolling, to [organize] funding.

“Plus, local ownership gives that city or community more of a connection because they obviously have a better grasp of the inner workings of the government and the community, and what that area’s population likes most in their entertainment. The bottom line is entertainment.”

The article mentions the Richmond may be in line for a AA Eastern League team or a High A Carolina team.

Lexington

Leandro Cespedes is one of the few bright spots for the Legends. After their 6th loss in a row, they have dropped to 2-10. (Hey it could be worse, they could have had expectations like the Detroit Tigers did and then have a record like this.)

Cespedes gave up 2 runs in 5 innings. Only one run was earned. He gave up 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. The Legends still had a shot to win the game but couldn’t come up with the big hit.

“We put ourselves in a position to win,” Langbehn said, “but we couldn’t come up with the big hit. We’ve become our own worst enemy.”

Still, the Legends finally put themselves in a position to win.

Lexington had chances to tie in three of the last four innings. But they left five runners in scoring position