After a 2:10 rain delay to start the day, Erie once again struck first. Andre Lipcius opened the second inning with a double on the first pitch from Victor Santos. Lipcius advanced to third base on a groundout, and scored on an infield single by Brady Policelli.
Santos found no issue with Erie’s batter after the second inning, however. The Reading starter retired 12 consecutive batters before walking Spencer Torkelson with two outs in the sixth inning. Braden Zarbnisky came out of the Reading bullpen to take the rest of the game, and kept the SeaWolves from threatening in the ninth.
Erie got a strong performance from A.J. Ladwig for his ninth start of the year. He only allowed one run on a pair of doubles in the third inning. While the double by Daniel Brito tied the game at one, Ladwig was still able to reset and retire nine of the next 10 batters he faced. It was the third consecutive start for Ladwig where he pitched at least five innings.
Reading took the lead on the first pitch out of the Erie bullpen. Jorge Bonifacio deposited the first offering from Joe Navilhon onto the roof of Erie Insurance Arena in left field to give Reading the lead in the sixth inning. Navilhon kept Reading from advancing any further in the seventh inning
Erie and Reading continue their six game set on Saturday as the holiday weekend continues with the second consecutive night of postgame fireworks at UPMC Park. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.