Toledo Mud Hens 8, Columbus Clippers 0 (Sunday)(box)
The Hens bullpen blanked the Clippers, while the offense mashed four home runs to run away with this one. As a result, they lost the series two games to four, and now hold a 21-20 record.
Kody Clemens has been rolling since his return from injury, and he got the party started with a two-run opposite field shot with Zack Short aboard in the first inning. Christin Stewart went to left center field for a solo shot in the second to open a 3-0 lead. They were quiet until the sixth, when a one-out walk, a single, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Cole Peterson. He lined one to center field, scoring one run, while Stewart was thrown out at the plate for the second run of the inning. It mattered little, as Short followed with a three-run shot to left field to make it 7-0. Renato Nuñez tacked on one more in the ninth with a solo shot, his ninth of the season.
Angel de Jesus got the win despite only throwing 1 2⁄3 innings. Starter Locke St. John threw three scoreless on two hits, with three strikeouts. Wladimir Pinto was particularly dominant, punching out five in two innings of work.
Stewart: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, SO
Nuñez: 2-5, R, RBI, HR, 2 SO
Columbus Clippers 12, Toledo Mud Hens 4 (Saturday)(box)
The Hens led early on a two-run double from Christin Stewart on Saturday, but Ricardo Pinto and Jason Foley each imploded for four runs to lose this one. Stewart had a second RBI double in the eighth, and scored on a Juan Centeno single for their final run of the game. Aderlin Rodriguez and Yariel Gonzalez each had two-hit games in the losing effort.
Columbus Clippers 7, Toledo Mud Hens 5 (Friday)(box)
Mark Leiter Jr. allowed four early runs in his start, and while the Hens briefly tied it in the fifth, the Clippers pulled away to win on Friday. Aderlin Rodriguez’s three-run, fourth inning shot, his eighth on the year, was the big blow for the Mud Hens. Another highlight was a double steal, including a steal of home by Christin Stewart delaying on Jacob Robson’s successful attempt to take second base. Robson also doubled and walked three times in the contest.
Coming Up Next: The Hens will welcome in the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday night.
Erie SeaWolves 6, Altoona Curve 4 (Sunday)(box)
The SeaWolves used a decent outing by A.J. Ladwig and a few key add-on runs to split this series with the Curve on Sunday. Altoona took an early lead, getting to Ladwig for a two-run shot in the first. RBI from Kerry Carpenter and Dylan Rosa tied things up in the second inning. Erie took the lead for good on Spencer Torkelson’s second homer since his promotion, an oppo laser to make it 3-2. Dillon Dingler followed with a single and then stole second base. Andre Lipcius singled and Carpenter’s sacrifice fly allowed Dingler to race home. John Valente and Carpenter came through in the sixth and seventh with RBI singles to pull away for good.
Carpenter: 3-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB
Torkelson: 2-4, R, RBI , HR, SO
Lipcius: 3-4, R, 2B, SO
Altoona Curve 8, Erie SeaWolves 7 (Saturday)(box)
Riley Greene was the star of the show in Saturday’s loss. He fell just a single shy of the cycle, cracking his eighth homer of the year with two men on in the second inning. Spencer Torkelson had a double and two RBI on the night. Reliever Max Green gave up four runs in two innings of work to take the loss, though Cale Coshow allowed two runs in the top of the ninth. The SeaWolves made a comeback push with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but those add-on runs for the Curve made it too much to overcome.
Erie SeaWolves 4, Altoona Curve 2 (Friday)(box)
Jesus Rodriguez put together a pretty good start, and the SeaWolves finally got the offense going in the bottom of the eighth to break a 2-2 tie and win it. The big blow was Spencer Torkelson’s two run shot in the eighth, his first with Erie. Torkelson also doubled, while Riley Greene had three singles, and Dillon Dingler a pair of his own.
Lake County Captains 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 0 (Sunday)(box)
Well, outside of Bryant Packard, the Whitecaps couldn’t get an offense going as they lost this one to go just 1-5 against the Captains in the series. Packard went four for four in this one, with a double. Daniel Cabrera added a triple, but that was all the offense they could muster against the Captains. Keider Montero gave them a pretty good start, spinning six innings of two run ball on nine hits, no walks, and six strikeouts, but runs are necessary to winning, of course.
Packard: 4-4, 2B
Montero (L, 2-5): 6 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 6 SO
West Michigan Whitecaps 9, Lake County Captains 2 (F/7)(Saturday)(box)
Beau Brieske gave the ‘Caps a nice start, and the offense came through again and again with clutch hits to bury the Captains on Saturday, before wet grounds forced this one to be called after seven. Breiske punched out seven in 5 2⁄3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits and no walks.
Bryant Packard was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the first. Parker Meadows then drew a one-out walk and Daniel Cabrera doubled to score Packard and move Meadows to third, where he scored on an Eliezer Alfonzo sacrifice fly. The big blow came in the third as Reynaldo Rivera mashed his sixth homer of the year with Trei Cruz and Meadows aboard. Packard’s RBI double in the fourth kicked off a four run frame, and they never looked back.
Lake County Captains 9, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (Friday)(box)
The Whitecaps built an early lead, but the bullpen faltered in the middle innings to lose on Friday night. Reynaldo Rivera lifted a two-run shot in the second with Wenceel Perez aboard to open the scoring. Daniel Cabrera followed in the third with a solo shot, his fourth, and the ‘Caps led 3-0. Unfortunately, Zack Shepherd allowed five runs in relief to take the loss.
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 3, Lakeland Flying Tigers 1 (Sunday)(box)
Starter Carlos Guzman surrendered three runs in four innings of work to take the loss in this one, as the Flying Tigers were swept in this six-game set. Colt Keith had a two-hit game and was responsible for the Flygers lone RBI. Derek Hill had a single and a double in his rehab appearance. Gage Workman didn’t have a hit, but he did walk and steal two bases in the losing effort.
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 10, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 (Saturday)(box)
Kingston Liniak starred in this one with his sixth home run of the season and a pair of doubles in the losing effort. Chris Proctor also had three hits. Derek Hill singled in a rehab appearance, while Gage Workman, Danny Woodrow—also rehabbing—Jose de la Cruz, and Jake Holton each had a single apiece. Ted Stuka couldn’t get out of the third inning, surrendered four runs in the frame to take the loss.
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 3, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (Friday)(box)
Gio Arriera struck out seven in six innings of work, but allowed three runs to take the loss on Friday night. Liniak and Workman each had two hit games to pace the offense, with Liniak hitting a solo shot, and Workman adding a double to the offensive output.