RJ Sales dominates for Lakeland, while Hao-Yu Lee homers in a Mud Hens loss

Scores, news, and notes from around the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Thursday, June 26, 2025.

Charlotte Knights 12, Toledo Mud Hens 9 (box )

Keider Montero and reliever Brendan White were just shelled in this one. The offense put up a good fight, but the deficit was too great.

Montero gave up six runs and was knocked out of the game in the third. White Sox’s prospect Colson Montgomery got to him on a 1-0 knuckle curve at the bottom of the strike zone in the first. That solo shot was the first of two homers for Montgomery in this one. In the third the Knights singled in four straight ABs to start the inning. Nothing was even hit hard, but it only got worse when Trevin Michael took over and allowed a pair of inherited runners to score.

In the bottom of the third, the Hens got back into the game against Mike Clevinger. Gage Workman walked and stole second base with one out. Tomas Nido grounded out, but Matt Vierling, playing third base in this one, singled in Workman and then rode home on a two-run laser beam the opposite way from Hao-Yu Lee. It was 6-3 Knights at that point.

Michael did settle in to keep the Knights off the board in the fourth and the fifth innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Akil Baddoo singled and Ryan Kreidler doubled him to third. A Workman single scored them both, and it was 6-5 Knights at that point.

Brendan White’s return from injury this season has not gone according to plan, and he was clobbered for five runs in the top of the seventh. Brewer Hicklen cracked a three-run shot in the bottom half with Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jace Jung aboard after walks. It was 11-8 at that point. PJ Poulin allowed a run in the eighth. The Hens got one more in the bottom of the ninth but never threatened the Knights lead.

Lee: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 K

Hicklen: 1-5, R, 4 RBI, HR, 2 K, SB

Workman: 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, SB

Jung: 1-3, R, 2 BB, K

Montero (L, 1-3): 2.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K

Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens lead two games to one, with a 7:05 p.m. ET matchup on tap for Friday night.

Somerset Patriots 4, Erie SeaWolves 3 (F/10)(box )

It was a rare tough night for the offense as the SeaWolves managed just three hits, and none of the extra base variety. They fought back to tie the game only to lose it in the bottom of the tenth.

Austin Bergner got the start and was ambushed for a pair of runs in the first inning, with George Lombard Jr.’s leadoff double setting the stage.

Walks to Jake Holton and Eduardo Valencia led to the SeaWolves scoring a run in the second inning. A throwing error by Patriots starter Brock Selvidge on a Max Anderson comebacker allowed Thayron Liranzo to score all the way from first in the third inning.

Somerset got another run in the fourth after a double and then a wild pitch. The SeaWolves tied things 3-3 in the seventh when a pair of walks to Carlos Mendoza and Brady Allen, along with Danny Serretti getting hit by a pitch, loaded the bases. A Trei Cruz sacrifice fly brought Mendoza home, but Liranzo grounded out to end the inning.

Richard Guasch took over in the sixth and he was pretty outstanding for two innings. Gausch’s command was as good as we’ve seen, and his good fastball-slider combo had the Patriots off balance for two perfect innings with four strikeouts. Matt Seelinger took over and gave them two good innings as well, but the SeaWolves couldn’t take advantage of the good bullpen work, and this eventually went to extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, Eliezer Alfonzo sacrificed himself by bunt to get Trei Cruz to third, but he was thrown out at home on a Max Anderson ground ball. Jake Holton grounded out as well, and Yosber Sanchez allowed the game winning single from Spencer Jones as the Patriots walked them off.

Anderson: 2-5

Valencia: 1-3, BB, 2 K

Bergner: 5.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves lead the series 2-1, with Friday’s game scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Lake County Captains 10, West Michigan Whitecaps 6 (box )

Rayner Castillo’s rough sophomore campaign in A-ball hit a low point on Thursday as the Captains took advantage of some wildness and knocked him out of the game in the fourth with seven runs, six earned, charged to his ledger.

Castillo was out of sorts from the beginning, walking two in the first and then throwing away a pickoff attempt before wild pitching the first run in for the Captains. A couple of singles led to another run in the second, but in the fourth a storm of singles and a double knocked him out of the game with three more runs allowed. Carlos Lequerica allowed two inherited runners to score and then gave up a couple of runs of his own in a seven-run inning that put this game just about out of reach.

The Caps’ briefly held a 2-1 lead in this one after plating a pair in the top of the second inning. Austin Murr and Peyton Graham led off with singles, and with one they pulled off a double steal successfully. A sacrifice fly and then a Seth Stephenson single brought the runs home.

Peyton Graham launched a three-run shot in the sixth with Murr and John Peck aboard, but that just made it a 10-5 ballgame at that point. Murr later doubled and scored in the eighth for the ‘Caps final run of the game.

Graham: 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, K, SB

Stephenson: 2-4, RBI, BB, SB

Peck: 3-5, R, 2B, K

Murr: 2-4, 3 R, 2B, BB, K

Castillo (L, 2-4): 3.1 IP, 7 R, 6 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps hold a 2-1 lead in the series heading into Friday night’s 7:00 p.m. ET matchup.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 3, Clearwater Threshers 2 (box )

RJ Sales gave the Flying Tigers a strong start, and some timely hitting late carried them to victory in a close fought contest on Thursday.

Sales gave up a run in the first, and then he was nails the rest of the way. He didn’t walk a batter, striking out six in five innings of work. The right-hander has a good cutter that racked up a lot of his whiffs in this one, while his 93-94 mph fourseamer was pretty well located and effective throughout his outing.

The lineup wasted some early scoring chances, and then went a little cold in the middle innings, so it was still 1-0 Clearwater heading into the bottom of the seventh. Garrett Pennington was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Carson Rucker followed with a single. Abel Bastidas struck out, but Jose De La Cruz did not. The slugger bombed a three-run shot for a 3-1 lead.

Chris Williams Jr. handled the sixth and seventh innings. Jorger Petri allowed a run in the eighth, but Blair Calvo took over, collecting the final five outs to earn the save.

Strong: 1-3, 2 BB, K, SB, CS

De La Cruz: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR

Hrustich: 0-2, 3 BB

Bastidas: 2-4, K

Sales: 5.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K

FCL Blue Jays 4, FCL Tigers 2 (box )

RF Maikel Orozco: 2-3, R, RBI, 2B, K

RHP Jatnk Diaz (L, 4-1): 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, BB, 6 K