Tucson 7 (24-52), Fresno 5: The T-Padres scored two runs in the ninth inning, to get the win. The winning hit came from 2B Anthony Contreras(.290), as he delivered with a two-run double. 1B Matt Clark(.295) and 3B Jedd Gyorko(.316) each had two RBI’s. Matt Lollis made an emergency start, and pitched well. He gave up one run in three innings of work.

San Antonio 5, (4-1), Midland 1: San Antonio only needed six hits to score five runs, and they are off to a hot start in the season’s second half. C Ali Solis(.300) had a nice game, going 3-4 with a double, and two RBI’s. Donn Roach made his AA debut out of the bullpen, and pitched three shutout innings.

Mar 16, 2012; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko (70) singles during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at the Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Lake Elsinore 4, (4-0) Lancaster 3: The Storm won walk-off style, in 14 innings. The winning hit came courtesy of 2B Casey McElroy (.667), who went 2-5, including the walk-off single. McElroy is 10-15 since joining the Storm. DH Tommy Medica went 3-6(.325), and slammed his ninth homer. Matt Jackson turned in a solid start, allowing just one hit in six shutout innings.

Lake County 4, Fort Wayne 2 (2-1):  Another day at the office for SS Jace Peterson(.286) as he went 2-4 with a triple and an RBI. Tyler Stubblefield(.267) also had a pair of hits. Colin Rea(3.13 ERA) got the start for the Tincaps, and took the loss, as he gave up four runs in three innings.

Boise 14, Eugene 11 (5-5): It was a wild one in Boise, but the Em’s could not get anyone out. On the offensive side, Brian Adams(.316) had a monster game, going 4-5, with two HR’s and 5 RBI’s. Genison Reyes got shelled in his start, as he gave up five runs in 2.2 innings.

Las Vegas 4, Tucson 2 (23-50): It was a rough night for the T-Pads, as they mustered only four hits, and didn’t score until the ninth inning. The only RBI’s of the game came courtesy of 3B Anthony Contreras‘ (.279) two-run single. 1B Matt Clark(.299) went 2-3, with a double. Jorge Reyes(4-8, 4.89 ERA) took the loss for Tucson. He pitched 5 innings, and gave up 3 earned runs, striking out 6.

Mar 14, 2012; Goodyear, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Matt Clark (89) watches a solo homerun during the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

San Antonio 5, (1-1), Corpus Christi 3: The Missions won this game in dramatic fashion, as 1B Nathan Freiman slammed a two-run walk-off homer for San Antonio. Freiman has 16 HR’s and 62 RBI’s on the season. 2B Jonathan Galvez(.353) and 3B Edinson Rincon(.260) each had two hits. Josh Geer(5.23 ERA) started for San Antonio, and was solid, pitching 7 innings, allowing just 2 runs.

Lake Elsinore 14, (1-0), Lancaster 1: The Storm opened the second half in a huge way, by destroying the Lancaster Jethawks DH  Connor Powers(.238) had a big night for the Storm, with a homer and 5 RBI’s. LF Everett Williams(.240) went 2-5, with RBI’s. Matthew Andriese was excellent on the mound, pitching 5 shutout innings, with 8 strikeouts.

Boise 5, Eugene 4 (4-3): Eugene took the lead in the top of the ninth, only to allow the Boise Hawks to win in the bottom of the ninth. Brian Adams(.125) had his first professional hit — a home run, in the fifth inning. In case you missed it, Adams did an interview with us last week. Chris Fetter started, and pitched 3 innings for the Em’s.

He did not play a great deal of baseball at Kentucky, but was still able to put up some impressive numbers. In his three-year career with the Wildcats, Adams hit .312, with 4 HR’s and 28 RBI’s. He made his professional debut Friday night for the Eugene Emeralds, and answered a few questions for Chicken Friars.

Image courtesy of kentuckysportsradio.com

Q: Recently you decided to give up football full-time, and focus on baseball. What were the reasons for the switch?

A: “I just really liked baseball. I feel like I had more opportunities with the game, and that I could do a little more with baseball. It was a tough decision, but I am excited to focus on baseball full-time.”

Q: Aside from the the obvious fact of more contact, what are the biggest differences between preparation between baseball and football.”

A: Football takes a little more time, with studying film. There is not really as much film to study with baseball, but both sports do feature a lot of scouting reports that a player needs to learn. Baseball has a few more individual workouts, as opposed to football.”

Q: Last night was Opening Night in Eugene, and you guys had a sold-out crowd. Do you feed off of that? Or do just go out there and worry about your game?

A: “You definitely feed off it. Last night was a really fun game, the crowd was electric. And Clark(Em’s First Baseman Clark Murphy) hit a walk-off single. Coach Murph(Emeralds manager Pat Murphy) always talks about playing winning baseball, and I think the crowd gave us a lot of energy last night.

Q: You are just starting your professional career, do you have any personal goals for the season? Like hitting a certain amount of HR’s, or something like that?

A: “Not specifically. I am just trying to get as many at-bats as I can. I have not played summer ball since I was 9. I just really want to get more experience. I know I have the athletic ability to play at the next level. I can field, I can throw well, but I really need to work on my swing. ”

Q: What is the draft experience like? You were drafted out of high school, and then again this year? Take us through the process.

A: “Because of my high school experiences, I was pretty familiar with it. In high school, I spoke to more scouts face-to-face, while in college a lot of my coaches kinda handled it. This time around there weren’t really any private workouts, like there was out of high school.”

Q: When exactly were you looking for in a team when going through the draft process? When teams preach about signability, what specifically made you want to sign?

A: “I was really looking for honesty. I was honest with the teams that talked to me, and I wanted them to be honest in return. It was not specifically about the money, but I wanted to go to an organization that really wanted me to play for them. The Padres, along with the Red Sox, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays were the teams that showed the greatest interest in me.”

Q: What can fans expect from Brian Adams?

A: “I play aggressive, hard, and I have a lot of speed. I really have enjoyed watching Mike Trout play recently, and I think that we have a lot of similarities in our games.”

Q: The Eugene Emeralds roster is thrown together pretty quickly. Has the experience been pretty chaotic?

A: “Yeah, it has been pretty chaotic. I am just trying to learn everyone’s name, but so far it seems like we have a great bunch of guys.”

Q: From a personal standpoint, what interests to you have outside of baseball?

A: “I just like hanging out at the lake, listening to country music. Making S’mores, and just being a normal 20-year-old.”

A big thanks to Brian Adams for being such a great interview. He seems like a great kid, and hopefully we will see him at Petco in the near future.