The SeaWolves dropped the opening game of a six-game series to the Somerset Patriots, 2-1, on Tuesday night at TD Bank Park.
Erie starter Markus Solbach began his outing facing one over the minimum through four innings, striking out eight of the first 13 batters he faced.
Somerset starter Jhony
The SeaWolves dropped the opening game of a six-game series to the Somerset Patriots, 2-1, on Tuesday night at TD Bank Park.
Erie starter Markus Solbach began his outing facing one over the minimum through four innings, striking out eight of the first 13 batters he faced.
Somerset starter Jhony Brito hurled four shutout frames in a no-decision effort with six strikeouts.
The SeaWolves pulled ahead to a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth against reliever Steven Jennings. Dane Myers doubled with one out and scored on a two-out Eric De La Rosa base hit.
Solbach came back out for the fifth inning and gave up a leadoff single to Brandon Lockridge. After striking out Jeisson Rosario for his ninth strikeout, Solbach allowed a base hit to Blake Perkins and a walk to Chad Bell and would be done for the night. Chance Kirby came in and gave up a sacrifice fly to Max Burt, scoring Lockridge to tie the game. Kirby got Erie out of the jam and would continue his hot start to the season by tossing 2.2 scoreless.
Solback took a no-decision allowing a run on three hits with a walk and nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings. It was the deepest and Erie starter has gone in a game this season and the strikeouts were the most by a SeaWolves pitcher this season.
Erie threatened in the seventh and ninth innings with two runners on base in each frame but failed to score against the Somerset bullpen.
In the last of the ninth, Erie reliever Yaya Chentouf retired the first two batters before yielding a single to Andres Chapparo to put the winning run on base. Lockridge doubled home Chaparro from first to give the Patriots a walk-off win.
Patriots reliever Barrett Loseke (1-0) earned the win tossing a scoreless top of the ninth allowing two hits with two strikeouts.
Chentouf (0-1) took the loss allowing a run on two hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Chentouf has struck out three in each of his first two appearances out of the pen.