Blue Jays' Berti belts in Solar Sox capper

The final game of Jon Berti's season didn't end with a win, but that couldn't be pinned on him.

In Thursday's 4-4 contest between Mesa and Glendale, the Toronto prospect led all hitters with three hits and three RBIs. He homered and stole a base on the final day of the Arizona Fall League's regular season.

The blast came in the third inning off Desert Dogs starter Wei-Chung Wang (Brewers) with two out and two on. It was the third roundtripper in 20 AFL games for the 2011 18th-round pick.

"[The count] got to 3-0. He made a couple nice pitches to get it back to 3-2," Berti said. "He threw me something I could put a good swing on, and fortunately I did."

The 24-year-old also popped up in the first, singled in the fifth, flew out in the eighth, singled in the 10th and walked in the 11th.

"[It] would have been nice to put a finish there," Berti said of his free pass in the final frame, when the Solar Sox had the bases loaded. "I was just sticking to my approach. It was a good day."

The Bowling Green product posted a .292/.418/.431 slash line with eight RBIs and six steals in as many tries during AFL play. Over 136 regular-season games with Double-A New Hampshire, he batted .270/.323/.373 with seven homers, 50 RBIs and 40 steals in 55 tries, leading the Eastern League in games played while ranking second in at-bats (541), hits (146) and stolen bases.

After playing 156 games between the Eastern League and the Arizona Fall League, Berti has earned the right to let himself relax a bit. Whether he actually will is another matter.

"[I'm going to] catch up on a little rest and then [get] back in it," the Michigan native said. "Can't take too much time off."

No. 10 Cubs prospect Dan Vogelbach drove in the Solar Sox's fourth run, and Mike Ohlman (Orioles) belted a solo shot for the Desert Dogs. Top Brewers prospect Tyrone Taylor, No. 6 Tigers prospect Steven Moya and No. 9 Dodgers prospect Scott Schebler also collected RBIs for Glendale.