Down on the Farm
05/22/2007
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By Jim Keller
PA SportsTicker Baseball Editor Second baseman Matt Antonelli, the San Diego Padres first-round
pick in 2006, and his Class-A Lake Elsinore teammates had a big
weekend at California League rival Lancaster. Antonelli had six hits, Yordany Ramirez drove in seven runs and
Chris Cooper and Chad Huffman homered twice each in a 30-0
demolition of the JetHawks on Friday. Kyle Banks also had six hits, scored six runs and Huffman
finished 5-for-5 with five runs for the Storm, who finished with
28 hits, including six homers and nine doubles. The runs were
four shy of a league record and the hits were one shy of the
league mark. "Like I was telling some of our fans late in the game, this was
a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see. I just hope I don't see it
again," Lancaster general manager Brad Seymour told the The
North County Times. Ramirez on Sunday hit for the cycle and drove in a career-high
eight runs in Sunday's 21-6 rout of the JetHawks. Cooper,
Antonelli, Blanks, Huffman and Brandon Gottier also homered in
the victory. In between, first baseman Aaron Bates became the first player in
the 66-year existence of the California League to belt four
home runs, went 5-for-5 and drove in six runs as the JetHawks
rallied from a 9-0 deficit for a 14-12 victory on Saturday. "It was a great feeling. The last one was the best for me
because it gave us the lead," Bates told the Antelope Valley
Press. "Four home runs is nice, but if we would have lost the
game it wouldn't have meant as much. I didn't really realize
what was going on until (pitching coach Bob) Kipper and (hitting
coach Dave) Joppie were telling me to get out there (and give
the fan's a curtain call)." The clubs combined for 83 runs, 95 hits and 23 home runs in the
three-game series. Blanks and Huffman homered in all three
contests. The 22-year-old Antonelli, a converted third baseman, went
10-for-20 in the series out of his leadoff spot and is batting
.325 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 40 games. He has stolen
12 bases in 13 tries. HE'S NO EVA LONGORIA, BUT HE AIN'T BAD: Not to be mistaken for
"Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Class AA third baseman Evan Longoria is having an outstanding
season. The third overall pick in the 2006 draft, Longoria reached base
safely by hit or walk in 37 consecutive games April 11-May 20,
going 39-for-130 (.300) with six doubles, nine home runs and 30
RBI. The 21-year-old righthanded hitter is batting .320 with 10
homers and 35 RBI in 42 games for Montgomery. Longoria bashed 18 homers in 248 regular-season at-bats in 2006
after a standout campaign at Long Beach State. He made three
minor league stops in his two-plus months, batting a combined
.315 with 14 doubles and 58 RBI. The signing of Ikinori Iwamura likely will buy time for Longoria
to develop his defensive game more at the hot corner. MOVE OVER A-ROD: Mitchell Hilligoss, a New York Yankees farmhand
playing at Charleston, South Carolina in the Class A South
Atlantic League, extended his minor league season-high hitting
streak to 27 straight games with two doubles on Monday at
Columbus. The 21-year-old leadoff hitter is 42-for-112 (.375) during the
stretch with nine doubles, a triple and 11 RBI. He is batting
.325 with 11 doubles, no homers and 17 RBI for the season. Hilligoss, a converted shortstop who has made 13 errors in 40
games, finished 10th in the Class A New York-Penn League last
season with a .292 average. The lefthanded hitter was MVP of
the league All-Star Game on August 16. AROUND THE MINORS: Class AA Carolina righthander Gaby Hernandez,
a top prospect for the Florida Marlins, pitched six hitless
innings but walked seven batters in a no-decision at
Jacksonville on Sunday. ... Class AAA Buffalo (Cleveland)
outfielder Franklin Gutierrez hit in 18 straight games (30-80, 6
2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 5 SB) April 16-May 20, and Class AAA Columbus
(Washington) outfielder Brandon Watson hit safely in 19
straight contests (27-73, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 5 SB) May 1-19.
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