
HVR Game Notes - September 17, 2023
September 17, 2023 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release
Hudson Valley Renegades (70-62, 31-35) vs. Greenville Drive (63-69, 27-39)
RHP Jackson Fristoe (First Start) vs RHP Luis Perales (0-3, 4.95 ERA)
| South Atlantic League Champ. Series | Game 1 | Heritage Financial Park | Wappingers Falls, N.Y. | Sept. 17, 2023 | First Pitch 2:05 p.m. |
HELLO PLAYOFFS!:The Hudson Valley Renegades battle the Greenville Drive for the South Atlantic League crown this week. Hudson Valley took four out of the six games at Fluor Field back in April in their lone meeting this season. The 'Gades lead the all-time series 9-5.
LAST TIME OUT:In an elimination game, the Hudson Valley Renegades topped the Jersey Shore BlueClaws 3-2. Brock Selvidge punched out seven batters in 6.2 innings to earn the playoff victory. Cole Ayers and Geoffrey Gilbert combined to tossed 2.1 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Ben Cowles led the offense, collecting two hits including an RBI single in the second inning. Rafael Flores tallied two doubles in the victory.
WELCOME TO HIGH-A:In an elimination game on Thursday, Matt Keating made his High-A debut against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. The right-hander polished off the win for Hudson Valley, by tossing the final two innings. In Friday's contest, Geoffrey Gilbert entered in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and one out with the 'Gades clinging on to a 3-2 lead. The southpaw struck out the next two batters to strand the bases loaded and then recorded a scoreless ninth to clinch the series victory.
HEATING UP:Over his last 14 games, Jesus Rodriguez is 19-for-49 (.388) with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, 9 RBIs, and seven runs. Rodriguez has also recorded a hit in 12 of the last 14 games and reached base safely in the last 12 contests of the regular season. Rodriguez is 4-for-10 in three games during the playoffs.
ROSTER MOVES:On Tuesday, the New York Yankees announced the promotions of pitchers Zach Messinger, Clay Aguilar, Harrison Cohen, and Anderson Munoz to Double-A Somerset. In return, pitchers Jackson Fristoe, Matt Keating, Geoffrey Gilbert, Sebastian Keane, Nolberto Henriquez, and Luis Arejula were promoted from Single-A Tampa to Hudson Valley.
PLAYOFF BASEBALL:The Hudson Valley Renegades continue their quest for the South Atlantic League Championship on Sunday afternoon. It's the first postseason berth for the 'Gades as an affiliate of the New York Yankees, and their first playoff appearance since 2019, despite winning the North Division by 12.5 games in 2021. This also marks the first South Atlantic League/High-A East playoff berth for the team. Since their inception in 1994, the Renegades own an 20-18 overall playoff record and have captured three New York-Penn League Nader Cup titles in 1999, 2012, and 2017.
THE FEATS OF STRENGTH:Last Sunday, Spencer Henson clubbed his 14th home run of the season, and 24th of his career as a Hudson Valley Renegade passing Everson Pereira and Grant Richardson for the most career home runs franchise history. Henson had been tied at the top since he hit two in Hickory on July 30.
BULLPEN ARMS RACE:From August 23 until the end of the regular season, the 'Gades bullpen struck out 106 batters in 77.1 innings and posted a 2.33 ERA. The 2.33 ERA was the second-lowest in High-A during this span. In the playoffs, the Renegades bullpen has allowed just one earned run in 8.2 innings.
PITCHING IS THE WAY:At the end of the regular season for Single-A and High-A leagues, the Hudson Valley Renegades sat third in Minor League Baseball with a 3.62 ERA and second in K/9 innings of 11.06 this year. The Down East Wood Ducks (TEX--A) led the way with a 3.39 ERA. The Somerset Patriots (NYY--AA) finished second, sporting a 3.61 ERA. This comes after the 'Gades finished the 2022 season with a team ERA of 3.62, good for fourth-best in MiLB.
OUT ON AN ISLAND:Over the last 25 games, Hudson Valley's pitching staff has held opponents to hit 53-for-278 (.191) with runners in scoring position. In the regular season, the 'Gades ranked first in the South Atlantic League and High-A, and fourth in MiLB in holding opponents to a .209 batting average with RISP.
HE GETS ON BASE!: Ben Cowles' 41-game on-base streak came to an end on September 2 in Wilmington. The former Maryland Terrapin had reached base in every game since July 4 in Jersey Shore. At the time, it was the longest active streak in the South Atlantic League, High-A, and all of MiLB. Cowles surpassed Emeel Salem (2007) for the all-time record last Thursday night against Aberdeen.
A NEW NO. 1: On August 10, MLB Pipeline reshuffled the New York Yankees Top 30 prospects list, with Spencer Jones becoming the new No. 1 prospect in the organization. Current Renegades on the roster listed are Brock Selvidge (#13), Jared Serna (#20), Brendan Beck (#21), and Anthony Hall (#22). Other 2023 Renegades included on the list are Spencer Jones (#1), Chase Hampton (#4), Drew Thorpe (#5), Zach Messinger (#18), Ben Rice (#23), Agustin Ramírez (#24), and Danny Watson (#29).
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK:Since his promotion on August 29, Renegades OF Cole Gabrielson has reached base safely in 10 of his first 13 games he's started in with Hudson Valley (including the playoffs). The former USC Trojan hit a home run in his first High-A at-bat on Wednesday in Wilmington.
FOR ALL THE MARBLES:The Renegades advanced to the South Atlantic League Championship series for the first time since moving to High-A. It's their first Championship series appearance since 2017 when they defeated the Vermont Lake Monsters 2-0 for the Nader Cup Title.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 17, 2023
- Pitching Dominates as Drive Take Championship Series Game One, 2-0 - Greenville Drive
- Renegades Open Championship Series with a Loss to Greenville - Hudson Valley Renegades
- HVR Game Notes - September 17, 2023 - Hudson Valley Renegades
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Hudson Valley Renegades Stories
- Renegades Homestand Preview - May 13-18
- Renegades Pound Wilmington Yet Again
- Renegades Game Notes
- Renegades Go 10 to Top Wilmington
- Renegades Game Notes

