On Pache power, Stripers stay alive in IL
A winning formula -- especially in the playoffs -- is to lean on the team's best players.Triple-A Gwinnett did just that in its 10-6 victory over Columbus in Game 3 of the Governors' Cup semifinals Friday, keeping its season alive in the best-of-5 series. Top Braves prospectCristian Pache drilled a
A winning formula -- especially in the playoffs -- is to lean on the team's best players.
Triple-A Gwinnett did just that in its 10-6 victory over Columbus in Game 3 of the Governors' Cup semifinals Friday, keeping its season alive in the best-of-5 series. Top Braves prospectCristian Pache drilled a grand slam and finished with five RBIs, while fourth-ranked Kyle Wright allowed two earned runs over six innings to earn the win.
All of the Stripers' runs came in the second and third innings -- five in each frame -- and the lead proved to be more than enough for Wright and the bullpen. Pache had a hand in both outbursts, starting with a sacrifice fly to right field in the second.
Gameday box score
The next inning, MLB.com's No. 10 overall prospect faced Jared Robinson with the bases loaded and nobody out. Pache drilled a 1-1 offering from the right-hander over the wall in left-center for a grand slam to give Gwinnett a 10-0 lead.
Wright, ranked 35th overall by MLB.com, held the Columbus lineup at bay despite allowing a baserunner in each inning he pitched. The righty fanned six and yielded six hits, one walk and a hit batsmen.
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John Ryan Murphy got the scoring started in the second with a three-run blast to center.
Game 4 is Saturday in Columbus.

In other Governors' Cup action:
Bulls 4, RailRiders 2
With Double-A Montgomery in July, Josh Fleming tossed an 88-pitch shutout. The Rays prospect nearly replicated that performance with eight scoreless frames to power the Bulls past the RailRiders at Durham Bulls Athletic Park as the home team took a 2-0 lead in the series. Fleming threw 78 of 108 pitches for strikes, and nine of his outs came via the ground ball. He joined Durham less than a month ago and made four appearances (three starts) and posted a 5.14 ERA in 21 innings, during which he allowed six long balls. All of the Bulls' run production came in the second, when Nathan Lukes and Jake Cronenworth smacked two-run homers. Kyle Higashioka's solo dinger in the ninth put the RailRiders on the board, and Zack Zehner added an RBI single before Arturo Reyes slammed the door to set up Game 3 in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Gameday box score
Chris Bumbaca is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
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