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Seattle Mariners

On the Farm: Mariners minor league affiliate report for April 27

Ryan Casteel hit his first homer of the season on Thursday night. (Mark Wagner / Coutresy Arkansas Travelers Communications)
From wire reports

Recaps for the Seattle Mariners top affiliates for Thursday night provided by team releases.

Tacoma (AAA) 4, Sacramento 0 (5)

Christian Bergman struck out six over five shutout innings, allowing just two hits, and the Tacoma Rainiers (11-8) beat the Sacramento River Cats (7-13) 4-0 in a five-inning, rain-shortened affair in Tacoma.

Bergman ran his record to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.96.

The Rainiers pushed all their runs across in the second inning.

Mike Freeman led off with a single on a line drive to right. After D. J. Peterson flied out to center, Tuffy Gosewisch walked.

Dario Pizzano lines out to center, but Zach Shank walked to load the bases. Boog Powell walked to force in a run, then with Leonys Martin batting, Ricky Romero uncorked a wild pitch and Gosewisch scored with the other runners moving up.

Leonys Martin then walked to load them back up. Tyler Smith to force another run in, and that was it for Romero. But reliever Matt Reynolds walked Tyler O’Neill to force in yet another run.

Mike Freeman then flied out to end the rally.

Tacoma hosts Sacramento in the second of a four-game series on Friday at 7:05 p.m. The River Cats haven’t announced a starter, while Ryan Weber (0-0, 0.00) takes the hill for the Rainiers.

Tulsa 6, Arkansas (AA) 3

TULSA, Okla. – Two homers from the Tulsa Drillers were too much for the Travs to overcome on Thursday night as Tulsa took a 6-3 win over the Travelers.

Steve Cishek, on an MLB rehab assignment, pitched a scoreless frame.

The Travs offense was cranking early as they put three runs on the board in the first inning. Ian Miller opened the game with a double to center field and then scored on Chuck Taylor‘s base hit. Two batters later, Ryan Casteel went opposite field for his first home run of the season and the Travs were up 3-0.

Casteel led the Arkansas offense with a 2 for 4 night.

The Travelers continue their roadtrip tomorrow night with the first of a four game series in Springfield, Missouri, against the Cardinals. Andrew Moore (1-1, 1.46) is scheduled to start for Arkansas against RHP Matt Pearce (0-2, 5.17) for Springfield.

Modesto (High-A) 6, Inland Empire 0

MODESTO, Calif. – Gianfranco Wawoe drove in three runs to back the Modesto Nuts’ 6-0 shutout of the Inland Empire 66ers on Thursday night at John Thurman Field.

Nick Neidert (W, 2-0) started the Nuts’ (13-8) shutout allowing just two hits. The righty struck out five and recorded his second shutout of the season. Spencer Herrmann added two scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Matt Walker (S, 2) tossed two scoreless innings to finish things off for the Nuts’ third shutout of the season.

The Nuts picked up two runs in the first on Logan Taylor’s RBI single and Chris Mariscal’s RBI knock.

The game stayed tight at 2-0 until the seventh. Wawoe smacked a RBI single to add to the lead. In the eighth, Wawoe ripped a two-run triple off the left-field wall. Donnie Walton launched his second home run of the year to add on in the eighth as well.

The Nuts open a three-game series with the Visalia Rawhide on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

Clinton (Low-A) 10, Quad Cities 5

CLINTON, Iowa – The Clinton LumberKings had their biggest inning of the season and toppped the Quad Cities River Bandits 10-5 on Thursday night at Ashford University Field. Gareth Morgan slugged his first home run of the season, a mammoth blast to left that punctuated the nine-run rally.

LumberKings starter Ljay Newsome turned in an impressive five-inning outing for Clinton. Over his five innings of work he allowed two runs, walked none, scattered three hits, and struck out a career-high eight. Newsome (4-1) earned his fourth straight win and did not allow a River Bandit batter to reach against him until the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the third inning, Clinton (9-12) sent 14 men to the plate and collected seven hits in a nine-run rally. Nick Thurman started the rally with a double, beginning a stretch of seven consecutive LumberKings to reach in the inning.

The LumberKings play game two of their four-game series with the Quad Cities River Bandits tomorrow. LHP Danny Garcia (1-1, 1.47) will get the start for Clinton and face River Bandits RHP Forrest Whitley (1-0, 0.00).