Pirates Prospects Advance to AFL Semifinals
Four Pittsburgh Pirates prospects helped the Scottsdale Scorpions cap off an improbable comeback in the Arizona Fall League with a 7-6 win over the Glendale Desert Dogs to advance to the semifinals.
The Scorpions were 5-12 and tied for last place on Oct. 28 before going on an 11-2 run to close out the regular season and are currently riding a seven-game winning streak. They'll face the Salt River Rafters on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET and the winner will advance to the championship game on Saturday, where they'll face the No. 1 seed Surprise Saguaros at 8 p.m. ET.
Pirates left-handed hitting outfield Sammy Siani registered another hit to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, going 1-5 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Pittsburgh infield prospect Kervin Pichardo had a huge game at the plate, going 3-4 with three RBIs while catching prospect Geovanny Planchart was 0-3 with one walk.
Pittsburgh right-handed pitching prospect Eddy Yean pitched 1.2 innings, allowing two hits and one run and he walked two batters and struck out one batter.
After striking out in his first at-bat, Siani roped a double to center field in the top of the fourth inning with one out. After New York Mets infield prospect Drew Gilbert walked and Siani stole third base, Pichardo doubled to center field, scoring two runs to give Scottsdale a 3-1 lead. The Pirates infield prospect was thrown out a third base trying to stretch the double into a triple.
In the top of the sixth inning with the game tied 3-3, Siani grounded into a fielder's choice before stealing second base for his second stolen base of the game and he advanced to third base on a throwing error by catcher St. Louis Cardinals catching prospect Leonardo Bernal. Gilbert walked again, and then Pichardo drove in Siani to break the tie again and give the Scorpions a 4-3 lead.
Pichardo singled in his last at-bat in the eighth inning.
Yean entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with Scottsdale up after Pichardo's RBI single. After working his way into trouble with two runners on and one out, Yean got a strikeout and a groundout to escape the jam unscathed.
Yean had a three-run cushion to work with after back-to-back solo home runs from Toronto Blue Jays infield prospect Adrian Pinto and Mets infield prospect Jacob Reimer in the top of the seventh. He wasn't able to get through the inning, though, as the first two runners reached base for Glendale before Yean got Bernal to line out. Cardinals outfield prospect Nathan Church grounded into a fielders choice, but Pichardo and Pinto couldn't turn the double play and the Desert Dogs scored a run to trim the deficit to two.
Yean was replaced by Detroit Tigers right-handed pitching prospect Eric Silva and he got a groundout to end the inning.
