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Allard, Ellis among top prospect performers Friday
- Updated: September 10, 2016
Jorge Alfaro and Rhys Hoskins powered Double-A Reading to a 13-6 win over Trenton on Friday night to stave off elimination from the Eastern League semifinals.
Alfaro, the Phillies’ No. 4 prospect and No. 62 on the Top 100, paced the Fightin Phils’ offense with a pair of home runs and three RBIs. It was his third four-hit game of the season and first with multiple home runs.
The 23-year-old catcher hit both of his homers off of Yankees’ No. 7 prospect Justus Sheffield (No. 85 overall), connecting on solo shots in the first and fifth innings, and he also plated a run with a seventh-inning single. With the 4-for-5 performance, Alfaro is now 6-for-13 with five RBIs in the series, which Trenton leads, 2-1.
As for Hoskins, the Phillies’ No. 13 prospect padded Reading’s lead with a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his second hit and first homer of the series. The 23-year-old first baseman finished the regular season with the second-most home runs (38) and RBIs (116) in the Minor Leagues, trailing only teammate Dylan Cozens (Phillies’ No. 7), who went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Friday.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Friday
• No. 44 overall prospect Kevin Newman went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double and two RBIs, but it wasn’t enough to keep Double-A Altoona from falling to Akron in Game 3 of the Eastern League semifinals, 9-4. The Pirates’ No. 5 prospect is batting .538 (7-for-13) with four extra-base hits in the series, which Akron currently leads, 2-1. Newman, 23, batted .320/.389/.426 during the regular season, amassing more walks (43) than strikeouts (36) in 102 games.
• No. 65 overall prospect Kolby Allard (Braves’ No. 4) tossed six scoreless frames but received a no-decision, as Class A Charleston rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Rome, 4-3, in Game 2 of the South Atlantic League semifinals. The 19-year-old lefty scattered three hits, walked two and fanned one en route to throwing 97 pitches (68 strikes). Allard has now …
