Game Recaps: Monday 5/18

Akron had a scheduled off day on Monday.

Clippers move into first place with win

It took more than nine innings, but was worth the wait for the Clippers as they vault into first place on the strength of a 5-4, 11-inning win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Early on, Columbus saw a steady diet of breaking balls from Yankees starter Casey Fossum. Though the Clippers had a base runner in each of the first three innings, they could not move the runner past first base. In the first inning, Fossum walked Travis Hafner and Chris Gimenez to start the frame. After an Andy Marte Single, Jordan Brown hit a sharp grounder that first baseman Eric Duncan, but Duncan's throw home was a poor and Hafner scored.

Tomo Ohka carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, when catcher Chris Stewart doubled to the left-center field gap with two outs. Ohka got the next batter to end the frame, but the shutout would not last. With one out in the sixth, Reegie Corona drilled a solo homer to tie the score 1-1. At that point, every run scored by the Yankees in the series had come on homers.

The Clippers tallied three runs in the top of the sixth inning when Mark Melancon entered in relief. Jordan Brown had the second of his three hits to start the frame and advanced on a ground out. Wilson Valdez dropped down a bunt single putting runners on the corners for Michael Brantley, who had gone 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against Fossum. Melancon's first pitch to Brantley broke the tie as the catcher let it get away for a passed ball, scoring Brown and sending Valdez around to third. Brantley drilled a double to score Valdez and later scored on a wild pitch to make it a 4-1 game.

Scranton put up one run against Rich Rundles in the eighth inning. Rundles was on for Vinnie Chulk, who threw a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Ohka. In the ninth, the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. Blaine Neal got one out before back-to-back singles and a hit batter loaded the bases for Justin Leone, who doubled to tie the game 4-4.

Tony Sipp came on to strike out two batters to force extra innings. Sipp struck out the side again in the tenth, setting the table for the offense to score in the eleventh. Wilson Valdez led off with a single and was bunted to second base. A Trevor Crowe walk put two on for Andy Cannizaro, who was called upon to pinch hit for Travis Hafner. Hafner left after a 3-for-4 night at the plate. Cannizaro responded with a go-ahead RBI double. Frank Herrmann set the side down in order in the bottom of the inning for his first save.

The finale of the four-game series is Tuesday at 11:05am. Kei Igawa will pitch for the Yankees against the Clippers Kirk Saarloos.

Kinston Falls 1-0

The battle between the top two pitching teams in the Carolina League lived up to the billing as Potomac shutout Kinston 1-0 Monday night at Historic Grainger Stadium.

Potomac starter Will Atwood was great for Potomac, giving up just two Kinston singles in six innings. He walked two and struck out six. Kinston starter Russell Young fired back with six scoreless frames, giving up seven hits (all singles) while walking one and striking out three. The shutout continued as the bullpens took over with Kinston’s Chen-Chang Lee throwing two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.

It would remain a scoreless tie until the top of the ninth inning when Potomac outfielder Jesus Valdez reached base on an infield single. The National’s Stephen King would then bounce a grounder to Kinston third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall who lost the handle and was charged with an error. With runners on first and third and nobody out, Kinston’s Matt Meyer battled back striking out pinch hitter Dan Nelson. Brian Peacock would then bounce a slow grounder to second base, for a game winning, ground out RBI single. Meyer (1-1) was the tough luck loser, giving up the unearned run.

Potomac had trouble closing it out in the bottom of the ninth, walking three Kinston batters to load the bases with just one out. An Adam Davis strikeout and a Johnny Drennen ground out ended the game for Kinston. The K-Tribe has now lost seven games in a row, with four of the last five coming by just one run. The other loss in the five game stretch was in extra innings.

There is another great pitching matchup schedule for Tuesday night at Historic Grainger Stadium when Kinston’s Eric Berger (3-2, 2.12) takes on Potomac’s Jeff Mandel (4-1, 2.25). Both starting pitchers are in the Carolina League top four in ERA. Game time 7pm at Historic Grainger Stadium.

Captains Comeback Comes Up Short

Abner Abreu hit a two run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning but the Lake County Captains came up one run short falling to the Greensboro Grasshoppers 6-5 on Monday night. The Captains had their chances stranding twelve runners on base.

The Grasshoppers took the lead in the first inning when Jake Smolinski drove home two runs with a two out single and it was 2-0. The lead was raised to 4-0 when Ben Lasater and Smolinski both drove in runs on ground outs. The Captains cut the lead in half when Chris Nash doubled home Donnie Webb and then scored on a single by Abner Abreu and it was 4-2.

The Grasshoppers lead was extended to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning on a RBI singles by Kyle Skipworth and Justin Jacobs. The Captains picked up a run in the top of the eighth inning when Donnie Webb singled home Mark Thompson to cut the lead to 6-3.

Trey Haley (0-1) made his Captains debut and took the loss working 4.1 innings and allowing six runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out one. Bryce Stowell made his professional debut and threw three scoreless innings allowing only one hit while striking out seven. Tom Koehler (2-2) posted the win hurling 5.2 innings and allowing two runs on three hits, walking seven and striking out five. Pete Andrelczyk pitched the last 1.1 innings to notch his sixth save despite giving up the homer to Abreu.

The Captains and Grasshoppers play game two of the four game series on Tuesday at 12:35 PM. The Captains will send LHP T.J. House (1-4, 3.79) to the mound against the Grasshoppers RHP Graham Johnson (0-0, 5.79).

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