Minor League Recap: Jace LaViolette hits his first MiLB homer

Columbus Clippers Travis Bazzana (12) throws the ball to first base during home opener at Huntington Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Columbus Clippers 2, Worcester Red Sox 8

Clippers fall to 8-7

Travis Bazzana had one of his best games at Triple-A, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk while Juan Benjamin went 2-for-4.

Kody Huff homered and Petey Halpin doubled.

On the pitching side of the equation, Trenton Denholm got tagged for seven runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.

Daniel Espino again had a scoreless appearance, as did Will Dion and Tanner Burns.

Akron RubberDucks 2, Harrisburg Senators 9

RubberDucks fall to 5-4

It was a rough game for Akron both offensively and with pitching.

Alfonso Rosario was a bright spot, going 2-for-3 with a home run. Joe Lampe had the lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base and Ralphy Velazquez reached base safely twice, going 1-for=3 with a walk, something Jose Devers also did.

Starting pitcher Dylan DeLucia again had a horrific outing, allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeouts without getting out of the first inning.

Zane Morehouse was the only pitcher who didn’t give up a run or allow an inherited runner to score.

Lake County Captains 7, Dayton Dragons 4

Captains improve to 4-5

Top Guardians 2025 MLB Draft Pick Jace LaViolette finally had his first big moment as a pro, blasting off for a three-run home run in the first inning, the first of hopefully many in his young career.

LaViolette still is a work in progress, as the bomb was his only hit of the day, going 1-for-4 with a walk and two more strikeouts. He’s batting .160 to begin his pro career with a grotesque 53.6% strikeout rate. He is going to have to get that under control before he makes any other progress.

Eight different Lake County players had hits in this game. Bennett Thompson also homered and walked as his extremely strong start to the 2026 season continues. Jaison Chourio went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

Starting pitcher Franklin Gomez had another strong outing, allowing one run on two hits in 4.0 innings while striking out four and walking one. Michael Kennedy followed with 4.0 innings of piggyback relief, allowing three runs on three hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Two of his three hits allowed were home runs.

Izaak Martinez finished off the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.

Hill City Howlers 5, Fredericksburg Nationals 2

Howlers improve to 6-3

The story of this game was the tremendous bounceback performance from Chase Mobley. After failing to get more than one out in his 2026 debut, he pitched 2.1 scoreless, hitless innings, striking out three and walking three on 49 pitches. Hopefully this is a sign of brighter things to come from him.

Miguel Flores followed with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief and Luke Fernandez closed out the win with 2.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts to earn the save.

Offensively, Anthony Martinez hit his first home run of the season, going 1-for-3 with a walk. Luis De La Cruz stayed hot, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases while Dauri Fernandez singled and walked, although he got caught stealing twice. Yelferth Castillo also went 2-for-3 with a walk.

Juneiker Caceres and Robert Arias both reached base twice with a pair of walks apiece.