Friday Pebble Report: Tyler Matzek dominates, Ryan McMahon's power surge continues

AAA- Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3, Oklahoma City Redhawks 2 (11 innings)

Tyler Matzek (No. 14 PuRP) has his second strong outing in three starts for Colorado Springs this season. The 23-year-old lefty held Oklahoma City to just two hits and a walk in six shutout innings, striking out six and throwing 83 pitches. Matzek's outing made Ben Paulsen's first inning RBI double stand up until the top of the seventh when Redhawks third baseman Jonathan Meyer drove home the tying run with a single off reliever Rob Scahill.

The game went to extra innings and Oklahoma City took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th when pinch hitter Ronald Torryes tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly against Manny Corpas. However, the Sky Sox tied the game in the bottom of the tenth with a double from first baseman Kyle Parker (No. 5 PuRP) and a run-scoring single by second baseman Rafael Ynoa. Colorado Springs took home the win in the 11th as Jason Pridie led off with a double, was bunted to third and scored on a Matt McBride sacrifice fly.

AA- Northwest Arkansas Naturals 10, Tulsa Drillers 6

Like the Sky Sox, the Drillers also had a first-round pick and southpaw on the mound in Tyler Anderson (No. 10 PuRP). However, Anderson did not fare as well as Matzek, allowing four runs, all earned, on five  hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

After an RBI groundout from catcher Tom Murphy (No. 9 PuRP) opened the scoring for the Drillers in the bottom of the first, Naturals left fielder Whit Merrifeld hit his first home run of the season in the top of the second to give Northwest Arkansas a 3-1 lead. It was 4-2 for the Naturals in the sixth when they scored three unearned runs to take a 7-2 lead that, despite a three-run double from center fielder Delta Cleary Jr. in the seventh, they would not relinquish en route to a 10-6 win.

High-A - Modesto Nuts 3, Lake Elsinore Storm 1

A solid effort from the Nuts' pitching staff and a pair of hits from Rosell Herrera (No. 4 PuRP) led to Modesto's fourth win of the season. The only hit allowed by Modesto starter Matt Flemer was a solo home run by Lake Elsinore right fielder Corey Adamson in the fourth. It was also the only extra-base hit for either team in the game. Flemer wound up pitching five innings, allowing just the lone run and hot, walking one and striking out seven.

None of the three Modesto runs in the game came via a hit. Juan Ciriaco scored the first on a passed ball in the third, Francisco Sosa stole home on a double steal in the fifth and Herrera scored on a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

A- Hickory Crawdads 6, Asheville Tourists 1

Asheville third baseman Ryan McMahon (No. 7 PuRP) hit his sixth home run of the season for the lone Tourists run in a 6-1 loss to Hickory, despite having 11 hits to the Crawdads' eight. The Tourists were undone by five walks and three errors in the game, just two of Hickory's six runs were earned while they issued just two free passes and did not commit an error. Tourists starter Devin Burke allowed just one earned run, three total, on five hits in 5 2/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts.

Asheville catcher Jose Briceno had a solid game in the loss, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and Jordan Patterson added  a pair of hits to the Tourists' cause.