Game Recaps: Saturday 5/30

Clippers fall 4-2 to Norfolk

The Clippers fell 4-2 to the Norfolk Tides on Saturday.

The Clippers made a couple key lineup changes just before the opening pitch at Huntington Park. Travis Hafner was expected to bat third and DH for the Clippers, but Tony Graffanino took his spot. Hafner's sore shoulder prevented him for making the start.

Chris Gimenez was expected to be the starting catcher, but was pulled because of a possible call up to Cleveland. Gimenez would appear in the game in the eighth inning after Wyatt Toregas was ejected for arguing a called third strike.

Kirk Saarloos started for the Clippers and allowed a lead-off triple to Justin Christian. Christian would score when Melvin Dorta grounded out to second. Saarloos retired the next eleven batters and didn't allow a runner into scoring position until the sixth.

Again, it was Christian starting the rally, this time with a single. Saarloos committed a throwing error, moving Christian to second. A Dorta single and a double by Fiorentino brought home the run, making it 2-1. A sacrifice fly later in the inning scored Dorta. Saarloos allowed three runs and six hits while striking out four in 6.2 innings.

Michael Aubrey led off the Clippers fourth with a double and later scored on a balk by Tides pitcher Chris Waters. In the sixth, the Clippers came within a run when Aubrey and LaPorta hit back-to-back doubles.

The Tides added an insurance run in the ninth inning on a Fiorentino double that scored Brandon Pinckney.

The Clippers and Tides will continue the four-game series Sunday at 1:05pm. Lefty Chuck Lofgren is expected to make his Clippers debut.

Erie Beats Akron Again, 4-1

The SeaWolves defeated the Aeros for the second consecutive night, this time by a score of 4-1.

Akron struck first for its only run of the game in the top of the third inning against Erie starter Jonah Nickerson. Cristo Arnal led off the inning and drew a walk. He moved over to second on a groundout by Jose Constanza and scored on a base hit to center from Carlos Rivero for a 1-0 Aeros lead.

Nickerson, who made his return to the starting rotation after one relief appearance, tossed his best outing of the season. Nickerson was aided early by a season-high five double plays in the first five innings. Four of the five ended innings for the Erie right hander.

The 'Wolves struck back against Akron starter Hector Rondon in the bottom of the fourth. Rondon, who faced just one over the minimum with five strikeouts in the first three innings, gave up back-to-back singles to Max Leon and Brennan Boesch to start the inning. Ryan Strieby followed and singled home Leon, tying the game at 1-1. With one out, Andy Dirks singled home Boesch to put the SeaWolves ahead 2-1. Erie would never trail the reminder of the game. Mike Hollimon and Cale Iorg followed with back-to-back RBI singles, putting Erie ahead 4-1.

Nickerson would continue his strong performance in the top of the sixth inning as he finished his night retiring the final eight batters he faced.

In the top of the eighth, the 'Wolves would turn to Cody Satterwhite. Satterwhite gave up back-to-back one-out singles to Constanza and Rivero putting the tying run at the plate. He then stuck out Beau Mills and induced a pop-out to the right side of the infield to get out of the inning with no damage.

Satterwhite would finish the game tossing a perfect ninth to pick up his sixth save of the season.

Nickerson evened his record to .500 at 3-3 going seven innings, allowing a run on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts. The seven innings was the deepest he's gone in a game this season.

The win improved the SeaWolves to 4-2 against the Aeros and to 28-19 on the season. Erie still holds the second-best record in the EL and they are now just four games out of first.

The Aeros will try to salvage the final game of this series Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Jeanmar Gomez (4-1, 1.29 ERA) takes the mound for the Aeros against Erie's Luis Marte (2-5, 4.84 ERA).

Dash Downs Kinston 8-3

The Winston-Salem Dash downed Kinston 8-3 Saturday night at Gene Hooks Field. The Winston-Salem win evens up the three game series.

The K-Tribe erased a one-run deficit in the top of the second inning when Ronald Rivas singled and Lucas Montero drove him home with an RBI triple. It was Montero’s team leading third triple of the season. After an RBI ground out by Richard Martinez drove in Montero, Kinston led 2-1.

The Indians lead was short lived as Winston-Salem took a 3-2 lead on a two-out, RBI single by Lee Cruz. Cruz would put the finishing touches on a big fourth inning for Winston-Salem in his next at-bat, driving in the final two runs of the four-run frame with another two-out single. Cruz ended up 3-for-4 with five RBI. Kinston’s Russell Young (0-3) took the loss, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. Young walked two and struck out four. Travis Turek then came in from the pen, giving up an earned run in 2 1/3 innings. Kyle Landis finished the game for Kinston, giving up just one hit and no runs in two innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter. Winston-Salem starter Anthony Carter (4-3) snagged the win for the Dash, giving up two runs in seven innings.

Kinston banged out nine hits on the night as Tim Fedroff and Lucas Montero each had two. The Indians Ryan Blair went 3-for-4 with a triple.

The rubber match of the series takes place Sunday afternoon at 2pm in Winston-Salem. Kinston’s Eric Berger will take the hill for Kinston. The K-Tribe returns home for a short three game series at Historic Grainger Stadium on Monday.

Captains Win in Eleven Innings

After playing two and a half games on Friday that spanned seventeen innings, the Lake County Captains and the West Virginia Power went eleven innings on Saturday with the Captains winning 2-1 on a RBI single by Donnie Webb that scored Karexon Sanchez.

Abner Abreu gave the Captains the lead in the top of the fourth inning hitting his sixth home run of the year and the score was 1-0. The Power tied it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning on a solo home run by Marcus Davis, his first homer of the year.

Captains’ starter T.J. House did not get a decision going 6.1 innings allowing one run on six hits, walking two and striking out five. Mike McGuire (4-2) got the win pitching 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Steve Smith picked up his eighth save pitching a scoreless eleventh inning. Power starter Rudy Owens went seven innings and allowed one run on five hits while striking out four. Eddie Pena (1-2) gave up the run in the eleventh to take the loss.

Game two of the four game series is Sunday at 2:05 PM with the Captains sending RHP Danny Salazar (1-2, 7.02) to the mound against Power RHP Kyle McPherson (4-1, 5.18).

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