Mesa earns first win of season with Solis solid in initial start

The Mesa Solar Sox flexed their offensive muscle early, racing to a 7-0 lead after two innings in their home opener against the Glendale Desert Dogs in Arizona Fall League play Wednesday. Mesa went on to win 13-3. Left-hander Sammy Solis (1-0) went 3 2/3 innings for the victory, allowing three hits, no runs, one walk and striking out two. Solis tossed 56 pitches, 39 for strikes. Solis told me he felt great on the mound and it was excited to be able to pitch back in his home state of Arizona. Mesa scored seven runs in two innings off of Glendale starter Michael Lorenzen (0-1). Steven Souza played right field and went 1-for-5 with two stolen bases. Catcher Adrian Nieto went 1-for-2 with a run, a walk, RBI double and a sac fly. Robert Benincasa came in late in the game. He allowed a solo shot to pinch-hitter Brandon Jacobs in the ninth. Mesa pounded out 16 hits, and has totaled 30 hits in two games. The Solar Sox have also scored 21 runs in two games. They have hit three homers and gone 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Tuesday's opener finished in an 8-8 tie, but it was nice to see Matt Skole smack a solo shot in his first game back since recovering from Tommy John surgery that kept the Nationals prospect out for almost the entire season.