Game Recaps: Saturday 5/2

Columbus Slugs Out Another Win, 10-6

Outfielder Matt LaPorta, infielder Luis Valbuena, and infielder Josh Barfield may be gone, but Columbus is still red hot at the plate. The Clippers pounded out 13 hits and 10 runs, winning their second straight game and putting up double digit runs in the second straight game as well.

Third baseman Andy Marte led the way going 2-for-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI and is now hitting .345 on the season for the Clippers. Newcomer George Lombard joined the roster on Saturday, and responded by going 3-for-3 with 3 doubles and 3 RBI on the night. The steady Jordan Brown went 2-for-5 with an RBI and and Wyatt Toregas went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI.

Right-hander Tomo Ohka put up another quality start going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks and had 2 strikeouts.

Herrmann, Weglarz Lead Aeros to 5th Straight

BOWIE, MD – Frank Herrmann turned in his team-leading third quality start and Nick Weglarz slugged a three-run homer as the Aeros doubled-up Bowie 6-3 before 7,750 fans at Prince George’s Stadium Saturday night. The win was Akron’s fifth straight and moved the club to 18-4 on the year, keeping them tied with Class AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre for the best record in professional baseball. Bowie slipped to 9-12.

The Aeros got on the board first thanks to Carlos Rivero’s sacrifice fly in the top of the third, but the Baysox responded with an RBI single from Ambiorix Concepcion in the bottom of the fourth to tie it at 1-1. The tide turned for good in the fifth however, as Akron struck for five two-out runs to take the lead. Beau Mills delivered the first blow, scorching an RBI double over Joe Nowicki’s head in right field as Jose Constanza scored all the way from first. Carlos Santana then walked on four pitches, and Niuman Romero followed with a sinking liner that a diving Nowicki couldn’t haul in on the fly as Mills came home to make it 3-1. That brought the suddenly hot Weglarz to the plate, and he hammered a 1-1 fastball just to the left of dead center field to push the advantage to 6-1.

That was plenty of support for Herrmann (2-1), as he worked into the seventh before giving way to Steven Wright for the last seven outs. Herrmann allowed just two runs and scattered eight hits in 6.2 innings, and was helped by double plays to end the first and fourth innings. He walked one and struck out three. Sean Gleason (0-2) took the loss for Bowie, allowing all six runs and all nine Akron hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two. Weglarz finished 2-4 with his third home run of the year and three RBI, and is 7-17 with four extra-base hits and six RBI over his four-game hitting streak after starting the year just 3-48. Constanza and Mills matched each other with 2-5 nights, and both are tied for the team lead with seven multi-hit games this season.

Akron will look for its second straight series sweep Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m., in what should be an outstanding pitchers duel. Akron will send Hector Rondon (4-0, 1.17 ERA) to the hill while the Baysox counter with Jake Arrieta (2-0, 2.00 ERA).

Kinston Beats Lynchburg 6-2

Kinston got another clutch performance from their bullpen as the Indians clipped the Lynchburg Hillcats 6-2 Saturday night in Virginia.

Kinston starter Eric Berger was cruising into the fifth inning when trouble hit. Berger walked the first four batters of the fifth inning, leaving the game with the bases loaded, nobody out and Kinston clinging to a 4-1 lead. Indians reliever Chen-Chang Lee took over, getting a groundball, strikeout and pop up from Lynchburg to escape the fifth inning with Kinston leading 4-2. Lee would get his first win of the season with the effort, giving up just two hits and no earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Matt Meyer would come in next to bail Lee out of a jam with runners at the corners in the seventh. Meyer would need just three pitches to strikeout heavy hitter Pedro Alvarez and end the inning. Garrison Campfield finished the game with a no run ninth inning. Kinston’s bullpen has now given up just two earned runs in their last four games (19 innings). Started Berger got the no decision, with the two run fifth inning ending his consecutive scoreless inning streak at 15 (four starts). Berger went four innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs while striking out six.

The K-Tribe got clutch hitting in the first inning as Matt Brown knocked home Tim Fedroff with an RBI double. Brown hit his first home run of the year, a solo shot; in the third inning to give Kinston a 3-0 lead. After an RBI single by Cord Phelps in the fourth inning, Kinston would add two more runs in the top of the eighth with RBI singles from Adam Davis and Matt McBride. McBride extended his hit streak to 16 games (second longest in the Carolina League this season), with a 2-for-5, one RBI night. Fedroff, Brown, John Allman and Lucas Montero also had two hits for Kinston.

The K-Tribe (12-11, first place in the Southern Division) looks to win the series in game three of the matchup with Lynchburg on Sunday afternoon. Game time 2:05 pm as Kinston’s Zach Putnam will take the bump for the Indians.

Big Inning Costs Captains

One big inning did in the Lake County Captains as they were defeated 5-4 by the Kannapolis Intimidators on Saturday. The Captains are now 1-5 in one run games.

The Intimidators jumped on the Captains in the bottom of the second inning scoring five times. Joe Persichina singled home a run. Justin Greene walked with the bases loaded to add another run and the third run scored on a wild pitch. The final two runs scored on a two run triple from Eduardo Escobar and the lead was 5-0. The Captains got a run back in the top of third when Donnie Webb singled to center field and the ball got past the center fielder and Webb circled the bases to cut the lead to 5-1.

The Captains rallied for three runs in the sixth inning when Karexon Sanchez hit his fifth home run of the year, a two run blast and Jeremie Tice added a RBI single and it was 5-4.

Captain’s starter T.J. House took the loss (1-2) going six innings and allowing five runs on five hits, walking one and striking out three. Mike McGuire pitched two scoreless innings striking out two. Intimidator’s starter Greg Infante picked up the win (2-0) lasting 5.2 innings allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits, walking two and striking out one. Nate Jones hurled the last two innings to notch his first save of the year.

The series and the road trip concludes on Sunday at 5:05 PM with the Captains sending RHP Alexander Perez (0-0, 1.99) to the mound to oppose LHP Charlie Leesman (3-0, 1.78).

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