Erie made the most noise against Richmond’s Trenton Toplikar when their backs were against the wall, as their first five hits in the game came with two outs. Four SeaWolves, Dillon Dingler, Kerry Carpenter, Andre Lipcius, and Dane Myers all singled with two outs in the third inning to score a pair of runs. Lipcius made a strong return to the box score in the fifth inning when he fought Toplikar for 13 pitches before drilling a triple to right-center field to score another run.
Richmond’s bullpen was effective. Frank Rubio tossed a pair of scoreless innings while striking out two batters, and Joey Marciano kept Erie off of the board with a scoreless eighth inning.
It was a quality finish for Reese Olson, as the Erie starter logged the best start of his Double-A career. Olson carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing a solo home run to Shane Matheny. Olson (W, 2-1) struck out eight batters in his six innings of work, needing only 59 pitches.
The night was not so smooth for Yaya Chentouf. Erie’s first reliever was hit for a run in the eighth inning after giving up a pair of leadoff hits and a sacrifice fly, cutting Erie’s lead to only one run. After a walk by Chentouf put the go-ahead run on base, Brad Bass took the mound to pick up a quick out and end the inning.
Bass took the ninth inning with a one run lead. He set down all three batters with a ground out and two strikeouts to earn his second save.
Erie and Richmond continue their series on Saturday afternoon at UPMC Park. As part of Fan Appreciation Night, fans in attendance will be eligible to win plenty of prizes presented by different SeaWolves sponsors. The first 1,000 fans in attendance on Saturday will also receive a SeaWolves camping mug, presented by Fullington Trailways. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. When the series concludes, Erie will look ahead to the 2022 season, beginning on April 8 at UPMC Park with a three-game series against the Akron RubberDucks.