06/30/06
Mike Connolly wins first of season with Triple-A Indians
Younger brother Jon is 3-0 with Lakeland Tigers
2006 MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL UPDATE
Staff Report
Oneonta High graduate Mike Connolly earned his first Triple-A pitching victory of the season Wednesday as the Indianapolis Indians beat the visiting Rochester Red Wings, 5-2, in the International League.
Connolly, a lefty, allowed two earned runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Connolly, who struck out five and walked three, improved to 1-1 at the Triple-A level this season. His ERA dropped from 13.50 to 7.45 Thursday.
The Daily Star Player of the Year for high school baseball in 1999 and 2000, Connolly was promoted from the Double-A Altoona Curve on June 20. The next day, he was the losing pitcher in the Indians’ 8-2 Triple-A loss to the Buffalo Bisons.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Connolly in the 19th round of the First-Year Player Draft following his senior season at OHS in 2000.
The Indians (42-35) are second in the International League’s West Division — a half-game behind the Louisville Bats, who are affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds.
Jon Connolly
Lefty Connolly is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA for the Single-A Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League.
The younger brother of Mike, 22-year-old Connolly allowed two runs on seven hits in 7 2/3 innings of Lakeland’s 6-2 victory over Sarasota on Tuesday. He struck out two and walked none for his third straight victory since joining the Tigers on June 5.
Connolly made one appearance with the Nashua Pride of the Independent Can-Am League before his contract was sold to the Detroit Tigers’ organization. Detroit originally drafted Connolly out of Oneonta High during the 28th round in 2001.
Connolly has allowed four earned runs and 14 hits, striking out five and walking four in 21 2/3 innings for Lakeland.
Craig Hurba
Former Oneonta High player Hurba hit the decisive RBI double Tuesday in the Kansas City T-Bones’ 6-5 road victory over the Calgary Vipers in the Independent Northern League.
Bainbridge native Hurba, 24, capped a three-run rally in the top of the ninth inning with a one-out, two-run double down the left-field line for the final margin.
Catcher Hurba, The Daily Star’s Player of the Year in 1998, is batting .242 (36-for-149) for the T-Bones. He has three homers, two triples, 11 doubles, 16 runs and 15 RBIs.
Hurba, a 38th-round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 2004, also had his first day off with the T-Bones this season on June 22. Before playing Joliet that day, Hurba had caught 32 consecutive games.
Chris Salamida
Oneonta State product Salamida earned a no-decision against the Lowell Spinners in a 5-1 victory for the Single-A Tri-City ValleyCats on Tuesday.
Salamida, drafted by the Houston Astros in the 13th round following his junior season at O-State this past spring, allowed one earned run and three hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Salamida struck out two and walked two before leaving a 1-1 tie. He was replaced after allowing a fourth-inning leadoff homer to Aaron Bates and a one-out walk to Luis Exposito.
Salamida has a 1.42 ERA and is 0-1 with four strikeouts and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. The Oneonta Tigers, who are Stedler Division rivals of Tri-City in the New York-Penn League, spoiled his professional debut with a 4-3 win over the ValleyCats on June 22.
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