Game Recaps: Saturday 5/17

The Columbus Clippers game was rained out on Saturday.

Aeros fall in first game, second game washed out

The Aeros fell to Altoona 8-0 in game one of a doubleheader Saturday night at Blair County Ballpark, with game two rained out. The postponed contest will be made up as part of a twin-bill Sunday afternoon starting at 2:05 p.m., which is an hour earlier that originally scheduled.

The Curve led from the outset in game one, as Brian Friday capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a leadoff homer to left off Akron starter Erik Stiller for a quick 1-0 lead. Altoona added another run in the second on an RBI double from Jason Delaney, and doubled the advantage to 4-0 in the third on a run-scoring double from James Boone and a sacrifice fly from Brad Corley. The Curve then broke the game open with a three-run rally in the fourth, as Delaney delivered an RBI single and Boone blooped a two-run single to center to make it 7-0. Boone then capped the scoring with an RBI double in the sixth, as Akron was shutout for the first time since April 16th.

Eric Krebs (2-3) got the win in relief for Altoona, turning in a pair of scoreless innings. Stiller (1-3) managed just three innings, allowing seven runs and eight hits. Akron mustered just four hits in the ballgame, although Matt McBride did extend his hitting streak to five games with a double in the second. Nick Weglarz finished 0-2 with a walk however, and his hitting streak ended at five games.

Kinston comes up short

Kinston’s Cristo Arnal hit a late three-run home run, but it wasn’t enough as Frederick got by the K-Tribe 4-3 Saturday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. The loss was Kinston’s sixth straight, with three of the last four losses coming by one run and one coming in extra innings.

Frederick got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Frederick first baseman Brandon Waring hit a two-run home run. It was Waring’s third home run of the season. In the second inning, a Kinston error allowed a base runner who would later score on a two-out, home run blast by Pedro Floriman. The two unearned runs made the score 4-0.

Kinston starter Ryan Morris would recover, not giving up another hit in his final four innings of work. Morris (1-5) took the loss, giving up three hits, walking two and tying a season high with seven strikeouts.

K-Tribe reliever Heath Taylor kept the Indians within striking distance, pitching three scoreless innings and striking out three. Kinston would pull within one in the bottom of the seventh inning when Lucas Montero and Ryan Blair led off the frame with singles. Cristo Arnal would drive them home with a three-run home run to right field, his first home run of the season. It was just the fifth home run of Arnal’s Minor League career (since 2004). Frederick reliever Luis Lebron would hold on in the eighth and ninth inning, allowing just one Kinston hit for his fifth save of the season. Frederick starter Zach Britton picked up his first win of the season.

Captains fall in short game
Mother Nature stepped in to help hand the Captains a 5-3 loss against the Hickory Crawdads on Saturday. The rain came in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Crawdads ahead and play never resumed.

With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Erik Morrison clubbed a two run home run to give the Crawdads a 2-0 lead. The lead was 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning when Doug Hogan doubled home Timmy Rodriguez who had reached on an error. The Captains cut the lead to 3-2 in the top of the third inning on a RBI fielder's choice by Donnie Webb and a ground out by Karexon Sanchez.

The Crawdads upped the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning to 4-0 when a run scored on a Captains' two out error. The Captains made it 4-3 when Sanchez grounded out and Delvi Cid scored. The Dads added another run in the fifth when Morrison singled home a run before the rain halted the game.

Alexander Perez (2-1) took the loss pitching 4.1 innings and allowing five runs, two earned, on five hits, walking three and striking out two. Carlos Pimentel went five innings for the Crawdads and raised his record to 2-1 with the win. He hurled five innings and allowed three runs on six hits, walking three and striking out six.

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