Game Recaps 5/17

Aeros Outlast Phillies in Marathon

READING, PA – Akron waited out an 85-minute rain delay and a season-high game time of 3:45 to earn an 8-5 win over Reading before 7,555 fans at FirstEnergy Stadium Saturday. The Aeros improved to 18-20 with the win while Reading slipped to 18-22.

Lou Marson gave the Phillies an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, but the Aeros answered back on consecutive RBI singles from Chris Gimenez and Wes Hodges in the top of the third to take a 2-1 lead. Reading retook the lead in the bottom of the frame on Marson’s two-run single, but Akron took the lead for good in the top of the fourth.

Trevor Crowe, back in the lineup for the first time since missing 35 games with a strained back, socked an RBI double to the base of the wall in dead center field to score Jose Constanza and tie the game at 3-3, and Gimenez then delivered a two-out RBI double to left to score Crowe and make it 4-3. The Aeros added an insurance run in the fifth when Stephen Head scored on a fielder’s choice, and reliever Jeff Stevens walked in a run but left the bases loaded to get through the fifth with a 5-4 lead intact.

Akron then tacked on three more runs in the sixth, as Head singled home a pair of runs and Hodges scored on a double-play ball to make it 8-4. Reading added a run in the bottom of the eighth but could pull no closer.

Stevens (4-1) earned the win with 1.2 shutout innings, while Phillies starter Andrew Carpenter (2-5) suffered the loss. Randy Newsom notched the final four outs for his 10th save in as many opportunities. Akron pounded out a season-high 15 hits on the night, including three apiece from Gimenez, Hodges and Head. Brandon Pinckney also extended his hitting streak to eight games.

The Aeros will finish their rain-shortened road trip Sunday at 1:05 p.m. as Frank Herrmann (4-2, 3.54 ERA) gets the start against Reading left-hander Antonio Bastardo (1-1, 3.06 ERA). The game broadcast begins at 12:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

Kinston Splits Double Dip With Winston-Salem

The K-Tribe split a double header with Winston-Salem as Kinston dropped game one 4-3 and rebounded with a 5-1 win in game two. Jim Deters (2-1) gave the K-Tribe the boost they needed in game two, picking up his second win of the season. Making a spot start, Deters went five innings, giving up four hits and no earned runs. Deters did not walk a batter and struck out three. Deters got all of the run support he needed when Nick Weglarz hit a bases loaded single with two-outs in the top of the second. Alex Castillo and John Drennen scored for the K-Tribe. Kinston added three more runs in the top of the sixth, with RBI hits from Drennen and Mills. Mills and Drennen each had two hits in game two for Kinston, Niuman Romero went 3-for-3.

Winston-Salem walked off with game one of Saturday’s double header, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 4-3 win over Kinston. The K-Tribe bolted out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, started off by a one-out single from Carlos Rivero. Adam Davis followed with a walk. Niuman Romero drove Rivero home with an RBI single one batter later. With runners on second and third and two outs, Brian Juhl delivered a roller down the first base line that Winston-Salem pitcher Aaron Poreda threw wide of first. The play was ruled an error and both Davis and Romero scored to give Kinston a 3-0 lead. The lead stuck until Winston-Salem scored one in the fifth and one in the sixth to make the score 3-2. In the bottom of the seventh, C.J. Retherford led off with a single. Anderson Gomes put down a sacrifice bunt, getting Retherford to second base. Retherford scored to tie the game on an RBI single by Billy Killian. After a walk, Paulo Orlando drove in the winning run with a single to left. Neil Wagner (1-3) took the loss for Kinston, giving up four hits and three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of work. Josh Tomlin put in a strong start for Kinston, giving up just three hits and one earned run through five innings.

Niuman Romero had a huge day for Kinston, going a combined 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in the double header. Romero came into the double dip with a .208 batting average, it now stands at .259. Kinston ends the series on Sunday with a 2pm afternoon game. Steven Wright will take the mound for Kinston.

CAPTAINS LOSE 7-1

(Eastlake, OH) –Brian Pellegrini hit a three run home run and had four RBI’s as the Lexington Legends defeated the Lake County Captains 7-1 at Classic Park. Legends starter Anthony Bello pitch five perfect innings to start the game and only surrendered one unearned run on one hit for his best outing of the year. The Captains lead in the Northern Division of the SAL is three games over Greensboro who lost as well.

The Legends scored in the first inning off of Captains starter Chris Archer when Collin DeLome singled and scored on Brian Pellegrini’s tripled to right center field. Pellegini, the Willoughby South graduate, wasn’t done there. After a run had scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning, he would hit a three run home run off Captains reliever John Gaub to make it a 5-0 Legends lead. The Captains got on the board in the sixth off of Anthony Bello on a RBI double by Ron Rivas to cut the lead to 5-1. The Legends answered back in the top of the seventh off reliever Joanniel Montero when Craig Corrado hit a sacrifice fly to score Russell Dixon who had previously tripled to push the lead to 6-1. The Legends added another run off Montero in the eighth on a RBI double by Joe Melton.

Captains starter Chris Archer took the loss (1-6) going 4.1 innings allowing three runs on two hits, he walked four and struck out three. Anthony Bello picked up the win to go to 2-2.

Game three of the series is Sunday at 1:05 PM as Indians Starter Jake Westbrook will be on the mound in a rehab start against the Legend’s RHP Leandro Cespedes (2-2, 5.88). The game can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

Sunday is another Plevin and Gallucci Family Fun Day where fan can participate with a pre-game Captains autograph session. Kids can run the bases after the game sponsored by Andrews Osborne Academy.

Indians Reliever Joe Borowski is expected to pitch for the Captains on Monday May 19th also against Lexington.

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