Solis "threw the ball well," Skole gains momentum in Mesa's 7-4 victory

Tuesday was time for Sammy Solis and Matt Skole to shine in Arizona. Left-hander Solis was good last week, but put together an even better start Tuesday as Mesa rolled past Scottsdale 7-4 in Arizona Fall League play. The Solar Sox remained unbeaten at 5-0-1 to be the only undefeated team left in AFL play. Solis struck out eight over four innings, allowing three hits, one solo shot and two walks. His ERA is 1.17. He tossed 68 pitches, 43 for strikes. Nationals director of player development Doug Harris was impressed with Solis' work. "He threw the ball well," Harris said. "Despite a few walks, he did a nice job getting ahead early in counts. His changeup was very good and got some swings and misses with his breaking ball. It was a solid outing overall." Reliever Robert Benincasa came on in relief in the seventh frame. He allowed one run on two hits with one walk and no strikeouts on the way to recording three outs. In all, six Solar Sox pitchers struck out 15 batters. Skole, batting cleanup and playing third base, went 1-for-3 with a double to center, a run scored and two walks. Mesa scored all seven of its runs in the third inning, sending 11 men to the plate and taking a 7-0 lead. The Solar Sox travel to Peoria for a 3:35 p.m. first pitch Wednesday.