The PawSox broke out of an offensive slump and ended a three-game losing streak to the first-place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees when they produced 14 hits while taking advantage of eight walks and two hit batters. Gil Velazquez went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI. “It’s August, and a lot of guys are tired,” Velazquez said. “These are the days you have to grind. Once we got it going early in the game, we got that little boost. We had a lot of players on base. That’s when you have to bear down. We were able to have success.” George Kottaras also had three hits and Jonathan Van Every drove in two runs and scored two. Edgar Martinez (6-2) shut the Yankees out for the first four innings and gave up two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Jeremy Slayden had three hits and the Reading Phillies scored four runs in the seventh inning of a 7-2 win over the Portland Sea Dogs Wednesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Slayden homered to lead off the second, sending the first pitch from starter Adam Mills over the right-field fence for his 14th of the season. He also hit a single and a double and was at the plate when Mills threw a wild pitch in the sixth that scored Greg Golson to make it 3-2.

Carlos Vasquez relieved Mills to start the seventh and walked Mike Eylward before allowing a single to Mike Spidale. Eylward scored on Anthony Mansolino’s groundout to make it 4-2. Javon Moran walked and Brad Harman hit Vasquez's first pitch over the left-field wall for his 12th homer and a 7-2 lead.

In a game with several dramatic home runs down the stretch, the JetHawks got the biggest. Reid Engel came off the bench to blast a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the ninth as the JetHawks defeated the Bakersfield Blaze 9-8. Combined with a loss by Inland Empire, the JetHawks are now in first place by two and ½ games in the second half race. Their magic number to clinch the top seed in the Southern Division is now 19.

It didn’t look like there was going to be any need for pinch hit theatrics going into the ninth. Trailing 7-5 in the eighth inning, Jon Still had a RBI single followed by a Michael Jones two-run homer to give Lancaster a one run edge. However, the Blaze got a clutch home run of their own, Chad Tracy’s second of the game, in the top of the ninth to send the game into the final frame.

Jones hit his home run off Blaze closer Jordan Stewart. As Engel reported in an interview with William Calvert on the JetHawks post-game show, Jones returned to the dugout and told his teammates that Stewart’s change up hung just a little bit. With a full count, Engel was thinking about Jones’ words. Sure enough, Stewart came inside with a change and Engel parked it over the right field wall. He was mobbed by the rest of the team as he crossed the plate with the winning run.

It finally rained on the Lowell Spinners' parade of victories.

The Brooklyn Cyclones took it to the Stedler Division leaders, shutting out the Spinners 7-0 last night at LeLacheur Park.

The loss snapped a six-game win streak for Lowell, who entered last night's game winners in 12 of its last 14 games.

"Tonight to me was an aberration, we haven't played this poorly in a long time," Spinners manager Gary DiSarcina said after the game. "I can't remember the last time we played this poorly where we didn't pitch the ball well, we didn't catch the ball in the field, and we didn't run the bases. It was probably the worst night ever running the bases."

Lowell starting pitcher Kyle Weiland (2-2) didn't allow an earned run in three innings of work, but took the loss.

After stranding two runners in the first inning, he came within one out of escaping the second inning unscathed. Then the wheels came off the bus in a hurry.

Two errors allowed the Cyclones to score three runs with two out in the second inning. Darren Blocker got eaten up by a ball at first base (a third baseman, he was playing first for only the third time last night) allowing a run to score on the play.

Two batters later, right fielder Mitch Dening overran a J.R. Voyles single which allowed two more runs to score.

Brooklyn added another run in the seventh on Jordan Abruzzo's rocket over the right field wall for a solo home run, and the Cyclones tacked on three more runs in the top of the ninth courtesy of a two-run double by Jose Jimenez and John Servidio's bases loaded walk to drive in the final run.