Toledo Mud Hens 8, Iowa Cubs 1 (box)
Three home runs and a strong day for the pitching staff carried the Mud Hens to a comfortable win over the Cubs as they took the six-game series five games to one. They got started early, as Daz Cameron led off the game with a double, and Riley Greene smoked an opposite field drive to left-center field for a two-run shot, his 22nd on the year.
Logan Shore started the game for Toledo, and spun five inning of one-run ball. Angel De Jesus, Wladimir PInto, and Will Vest blanked the Cubs the rest of the way. Grayson Greiner’s soft serve single in the sixth scored two runs, while a sacrifice fly from Cameron brought home Ryan Kreidler to make it 5-1 Hens. In the seventh, Kody Clemens lifted a solo shot, and after an Aderlin Rodriguez double, Kreidler drilled a two-run shot to left for his 20th home run on the year. That was Kreidler’s second homer in as many days. The Cubs will be glad to see the Hens leave town after getting bludgeoned 21-4 on Saturday as well.
Greene: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB
Kreidler: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
Cameron: 1-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB
Coming Up Next: With three series remaining in the regular season, the Hens now hold a three-game lead over the Omaha Storm Chasers in the Triple-A East Midwest Division. They’ll welcome in the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday night.
Altoona Curve 5, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)
A.J. Ladwig was tagged with a pair of two-run innings, and the offense just couldn’t get anything going on Sunday. The Curve took the five-game set three games to two. The SeaWolves only managed five singles and four walks in this one. Even when they drove the ball it seemed to find a defender’s glove. Down 5-0 heading into the top of the ninth, Dillon Dingler was hit by a pitch with one out. Drew Ward struck out, but needing just one more out, Curve reliever Cristofer Melendez lost the plot temporarily. He walked Brady Policelli and then hit Dane Myers to load the bases, then walked Andrew Navigato and Erie De La Rosa back-to-back to force across two runs. A pitching change brought on Nathan Kirby to handle Daniel Cabrera with the bases juiced, and he struck out Cabrera on three pitches to end it.
De La Rosa: 1-3, RBI, BB, 2 SO
Carpenter: 2-4, SO
Ladwig (L, 5-7): 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, SO
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves come home to close out the 2021 season against the Richmond Flying Squirrels this week. Erie holds a 60-53 record, but are 10 games behind Akron in the division with no shot at the league championship series.
Great Lakes Loons 10, West Michigan Whitecaps 7 (box)
A tense, low-scoring affair blew up in the late innings, and a six-run outburst from the Loons in the top of the ninth carried them over the Whitecaps on Sunday as the two clubs split their series.
The ‘Caps scored first in this one, as Austin Murr singled in the first inning, advanced on a walk to Jake Holton and a throwing error on the Loons catcher. Gage Workman lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Murr from third. Things were quiet from that point into the middle innings. Starter Zac Shepherd gave up the lead, allowing two runs in the fifth. In the sixth, three straight walks to lead off the inning set up Holton, who singled a run in. Parker Meadows later walked to force in a run, and we were tied up at three runs each.
Reliever Christopher Mauloni allowed a run in the top of the eighth, but the Whitecaps roared back with four runs in the bottom of the inning, again keyed by miserable control from Loons’ pitchers. Murr walked to lead off the inning, and Holton was hit by a pitch. Then Gage Workman absolutely cranked a three-run shot way out to right-center field. Meadows walked, and eventually scored on an Eliezer Alfonzo single, and it was 7-4 Whitecaps. Unfortunately, relievers Angel Reyes and Sandel De La Cruz just didn’t have it in the top of the ninth. Instead of closing out the Loons, they combined to allow a six-run outburst that put them down for the count.
Workman: 2-5, R, 4 RBI, HR, SO
Holton: 2-2, R, RBI, 3 BB
Meadows: 1-4, R, RBI, 2B, 2 BB, SO
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps will head to Lansing to battle the Lugnuts in their final series of the 2021 season.
St. Lucie Mets 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (box)
After a week of rainouts limiting this series to five games, the Mets finally pulled one out to avoid the sweep. In the top half of the fourth, the Flying Tigers had opened a two-run lead after Gresuan Silverio’s two-run double scoring Nick Quintana and Mike Rothenberg, who had singled back-to-back to lead off the inning. However, three errors and a wild pitch by Ricky Davila doomed them in the bottom half of the inning, as they helped the Mets to a five-run frame that was the difference.
Silverio: 3-4, 2 RBI, 2B
Quintana: 1-3, R, BB, SO
Coming Up Next: Lakeland will welcome in the Bradenton Marauders on Tuesday night for the two clubs final series of the season.