Nashville Sounds 4, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (box)
Well it didn’t go well for the Hens over the past week. The offense was held down on Sunday in a 4-2 loss, and as a result, the Sounds took the series five games to two.
Things got off to a promising start. Kody Clemens struck out to open the game, but the next hitter, Renato Nuñez, launched a solo shot, his 19th of the season. Christin Stewart followed with a double, and scored later on a Yariel Gonzalez single. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t get anything going the remaining eight innings. They only managed three singles and a couple walks the rest of the way.
The Hens were going with a bullpen game, using Nolan Blackwood for three innings. He allowed a pair of runs, but Alex Lange was dominant for two innings, punching out five hitters. Locke St. John and Bryan Garcia each threw a scoreless inning, but Miguel Del Pozo crumbled in the eighth, allowing two runs to take the loss before Drew Carlton came on to shut them down.
Coming Up Next: Things won’t get much easier next week as the Mud Hens travel to Columbus for six with the Clippers.
Erie SeaWolves 9, Harrisburg Senators 4 (box)
The big boys came through with plenty of offense as the SeaWolves won to take the week’s series four games to two. Both Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene homered, with Greene’s three-run shot as the icing on top of a seven run eighth inning as Erie came back and then pulled away.
Jesus Rodriguez got the start, and was knocked out in the fifth inning with four runs, three earned charged to his ledger. Gerson Moreno, Yaya Chentouf, and Joe Navilhon came through with 4 1⁄3 scoreless innings of work to give them a chance at a comeback.
Torkelson led off the eighth with a double, and after Kerry Carpenter struck out, Andre Lipcius singled, while Josh Lester and Drew Ward walked as Senators’ relievers Frankie Bartow crumbled. Dylan Rosa greeted Bartow’s replacement with an RBI single, followed by a two-run double from Christopher Proctor. Greene’s home run capped the scoring.
Torkelson: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, 2 SO
Greene: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, BB
Kreidler: 2-5, R
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves will welcome in the Altoona Curve for a six-game set starting on Tuesday night.
Dayton Dragons 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (F/10)(box)
The Whitecaps lost this one as the bullpen folded late, but won the series four games to three, including a makeup game on Friday. Eric de la Rosa continues as one of the few offensive sparks for the ‘Caps, and he got things started on Sunday with a single in the bottom of the first. He then stole second, took third as Jimmy Kerr reached on an error, and scored on passed ball. The ‘Caps scored again in the fourth when Andrew Navigato tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a Gage Workman sacrifice fly. That made the score 2-0.
Garrett Hill got the start, and was good again, pitching seven innings with five strikeouts. He blanked the Dragons through five innings before leaking three runs, two earned, in the sixth before coming back on for a clean seventh inning. After Hill lost the lead the ‘Caps tied things up at three in the bottom half of the sixth as Jimmy Kerr stole home on a delay after Workman broke for second base. Things would stay locked at three until the 10th inning. Angel Reyes allowed two runs in relief, and the Whitecaps only managed one in the bottom half despite loading the bases with no outs.
De la Rosa: 1-3, R, 2 BB, 2 SO
Navigato: 1-4, R, 3B, BB, SO
Hill: 7.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 H, BB, 5 SO
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps travel this week, meeting up with the Lake County Captains for six starting on Tuesday night.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 4, Daytona Tortugas 3 (box)
Jake Holton came through with a walkoff single to split the series with the Tortugas on Sunday. Starter Carlos Guzman allowed a solo shot in the first inning, but settled in to go five innings, striking out six and walking four. The Flying Tigers took advantage, seizing the lead in the fourth. Austin Murr led off with a double, and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Holton. Ben Malgeri then singled with two outs, and Colt Keith lined a double to centerfield to score him for a 2-1 lead.
In the sixth, Eliezer Alfonzo and Holton singled with one out. Malgeri struck out, but Keith and Kingston Liniak walked back to back to push across another run. Unfortunately Carlos Irigoyen grounded out with the bases loaded to end the threat. That would cost them some pain in the eighth, as Wiliander Moreno allowed a pair of runs to blow the lead.
Still, they pulled it out in the end anyway. Alvaro Gonzalez drew a walk to lead off the ninth, and after Trei Cruz flew out, Murr walked as well. An error on Daytona’s first baseman helped keep the inning alive, as Alfonzo reached on the play to load the bases, and Holton pulled a single into left field to score Gonzalez and end the game in style.
Holton: 3-4, 2 RBI, 3B, SO
Murr: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 BB, SO
Keith: 1-3, RBI, 2B, BB
Guzman: 5.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 6 SO
Coming Up Next: Lakeland heads to Palm Beach this week to take on the Cardinals. Wednesday will be a doubleheader to make up for a July 11 rainout.