Chicago southpaws Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz deal in 3-1 Spring Breakout loss to Colorado
White Sox pair of future aces highlight prospect showcase by blanking the Rockies over four frames
A showcase of promising young talent turned into a tightly-contested pitcher’s duel as the Chicago White Sox fell to the Colorado Rockies, 3-1, in today’s Spring Breakout game. While the scoreboard didn’t favor the South Siders, the young Sox prospects offered flashes of their potential, particularly the arms.
The game began with a strong showing from Pale Hose starter Hagen Smith. Despite walking one batter in the first, Smith induced a crucial double play, demonstrating his ability to work out of trouble. His fastball sat comfortably in the 95-96 mph range, and 17 of his 30 pitches were thrown for strikes. Smith continued to battle in the second, walking Kyle Karros, who later stole second. However, Smith ended the inning with a nasty breaking pitch, striking out Benny Montgomery.
The third inning brought a stellar performance from southpaw Noah Schultz. His nasty slider proved effective as he retired the side in order on just eight pitches. The lefty continued his strong outing in the fourth, striking out two.
Shortstop Colson Montgomery also showcased his defensive prowess in the inning, making an impressive play in the hole to rob Adael Amador of a hit.
Libertyville native Riley Gowens, ranked No. 41 on South Side Sox’s Top 100 prospect list, entered the game in the fifth. He surrendered a leadoff double and a walk but escaped the inning thanks to a diving catch from Braden Montgomery.
The 25-year-old wasn’t as lucky in the sixth, as the Rockies broke the stalemate with a leadoff double followed by a two-run home run by Amador, giving Colorado a 2-0 advantage. Gowens exited after allowing a single, and Adisyn Coffey closed out the inning.
Jake Eder pitched the seventh, walking a batter but then getting a key out on a stolen base attempt. Zach Franklin took the mound in the eighth, which started out with Nick McLain making a great catch in center. Then, after a single by Andy Perez, a Karros triple extended the Rockies lead to 3-1. Eric Adler wrapped things up in the ninth, hitting a batter who was then caught stealing. He surrendered a ground-ball single, but a double play ended the frame, giving the Sox a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the inning.
While the pitching was impressive, the offense continues to struggle. After going hitless for the first three innings, the Sox finally broke through offensively in the bottom of the fourth when William Bergolla worked a one-out walk and Edgar Quero delivered a two-out double for the game’s first hit. However, Colson Montgomery left them stranded when he struck out looking.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Good Guys had runners on again after Tim Elko was hit by a pitch, and 19-year-old Downers Grove native George Wolkow smashed a single, clocked at 114 mph off the bat. However, the runners were left right there as Chase Meidroth flew out to end the threat.
Chicago scored their only tally in the sixth when Bergolla doubled and stole third, and Quero drove him in with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 2-1. After Colson Montgomery struck out, Teel tried to steal and was gunned down for the third out.
While the loss is unfortunate, it’s ultimately meaningless. However, it provided valuable experience for the young White Sox prospects. Performances from pitchers like Smith and Schultz, along with defensive highlights from the Montgomerys and offensive flashes from Quero and Wolkow, offer a glimpse of what’s coming to the South Side. While the pitching seems to be on track to dominate at some point in the near future, the offense remains an area that GM Chris Getz and the front office must address sooner rather than later. It’s really tough to win baseball games if you can’t score any runs.