St. Paul Saints 4, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (box)
This was an ugly night from the offense after dropping 11 runs on the Saints on Tuesday. They mustered just four hits and two walks, while striking out 13 times in this one. A good effort from Ricardo Pinto, Miguel Del Pozo, and Drew Carlton from the bullpen was wasted in the process.
Chase Anderson got the start after a brief rain delay, and he was okay, but still looks unlikely to be of any assistance to the Tigers. After a pair of scoreless innings to open his night, he ran into trouble in the third. A leadoff walk, and a Jose Miranda double put runners on second and third with no outs, and Anderson wild pitched a run in, and then Royce Lewis singled to Derek Hill in center field to score Miranda. A Jack Lopez throwing error and another walk kept traffic on the bases heavy, and then Anderson advanced the runners with a balk. A single to left and an error on left fielder Jamie Westbrook allowed two more runs to score, and while that was all the damage the Saints would manage, it was enough.
The Mud Hens got a second inning solo shot from Josh Lester that gave them an early lead, but really did little the rest of the way. In the sixth, Zack Short reached with one out on a Saints throwing error and scored on a Kody Clemens double. Hill singled to left and both runners advanced an extra base on the play. Lester grounded out, scoring Clemens, but Ryan Kreidler struck out to end the threat. A Zack Short single was the Hens only hit the rest of the way. Derek Hill did reach on an error to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and the Hens had their chance, but Lester and Kreidler each struck out, and Westbrook grounded out to end it.
The series is even at 1-1 as they head into Thursday night’s 6:35 p.m. matchup. No starters have been announced.
Erie SeaWolves 6, Richmond Flying Squirrels 2 (box)
After getting rained out on Tuesday, the SeaWolves opened the series with a strong performance in all facets on the game Wednesday night. They scored early, and poured it on again when Richmond made a bid for a comeback.
Adam Wolf (W, 1-0) got the start and tossed a good game. Staked to an early lead, Wolf allowed a pair of runs in the fifth that ended his night after racking up six strikeouts while allowing three hits and two walks on the night.
Gage Workman (#12 BYB) got Erie on the board first with a solo shot in the third inning. The blast was Workman’s third on the young season. In the early going he’s handling a somewhat aggressive assignment very well.
However, the offensive star of the show was outfielder Kerry Carpenter. After a two-out double from Eric Da La Rosa in the fourth, Carpenter launched a two-run shot to right to make it 3-0. He wasn’t done either. After the Saints closed within one in the fifth, Daniel Cabrera drew a one-out walk. He then stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. De La Rosa dumped a pop up in for a single and Cabrera scored. Carpenter then stepped to the dish and smoked his second two-run blast on the night.
The trio of Shea Spitzbarth, Chance Kirby, and Yaya Chentouf locked down the final four innings, and the SeaWolves took a 1-0 lead in the series.
The two teams will make up the rainout with a doubleheader on Thursday. First pitch for game on is set for 4:05 p.m. RHP Garrett Hill (0-0, 1.13 ERA) will take on the the Saints LHP Jake Dahlberg (0-0, 3.24 ERA). Game two will feature the SeaWolves RHP Reese Olson (0-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. RHP Kai-Wei Teng (0-1, 1.86 ERA).
Dayton Dragons 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)
Starter Carlos Guzman struggled in this one, and the offense couldn’t overcome the early deficit as the Dragons made it 2-0 in this six-game set.
Guzman allowed a run in the bottom of the first, but his teammates picked him right back up. With two outs, Bryant Packard got them started with a single, and Trei Cruz drew a walk. Parker Meadows singled to score Packard, and then Wenceel Perez came up with a big knock, lining a two-run single to left to make it 3-1 Whitecaps.
Unfortunately, Guzman couldn’t hold the lead. He surrendered one run in the bottom of the second, and three more in the third, ending his night. Reliever Dario Gardea continued to rack up the strikeouts but allowed a solo shot in the fifth, his first earned run of the season, as did Gio Arriera in the seventh. The Whitecaps got two hit games out of Meadows, Jake Holton, Wenceel Perez, and Packard, but couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities the rest of the night.
RHP Dylan Smith (1-0, 1.50 ERA), the Tigers 2021 third round pick in the amateur draft, will make his third start on Thursday night, taking on the Dragons LHP Evan Kravetz (0-0, 12.46 ERA) at 7:05 p.m.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 9, Palm Beach Cardinals 0 (box)
The Flying Tigers put on a pretty comprehensive performance to go up 2-0 in their home series against the Cardinals. Nick Davila spun five scoreless innings, Carlos Marcano chipped in two perfect innings, and reliever Erick Rodriguez was particularly impressive, punching out five in his two innings of work.
The offense got to work immediately in the bottom of the first inning. Manuel Sequera singled with one out, and Izaac Pacheco followed with an RBI double. Chris Meyers got Pacheco home with the help of a fielder’s choice throwing error on the Cardinals.
In the fifth, Cristian Santana led off with a walk, Sequera doubled, Pacheco walked, and Chris Meyers cashed in the chips with a three-run triple.
Another error allowed Meyers to reach with two outs in the seventh, and he promptly stole second base. Roberto Campos reached on an error that allowed Meyers to score, and Jose De La Cruz walked. Daneurys De La Cruz singled home Campos, while Carlos Mendoza followed with a single that scored Jose De La Cruz. A wild pitch scored Daneurys De La Cruz, and while that ended the scoring, this one was in the bag for Lakeland.
The Flying Tigers look to make it three straight over the Cardinals on Thursday evening. First pitch at Publix Field is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.