Game Recaps: Friday 6/19

Akron was rained out on Friday night and Mahoning Valley kicked off their season.

Syracuse homer beats Clippers

The Clippers came up short against the Syracuse Chiefs Friday night.
Seth Bynum's solo homer in the eighth inning lifted the Chiefs to victory at Alliance Bank Stadium.

Kenny Ray got out of the blocks poorly, allowing four runs through the first two innings, throwing 52 pitches. The Clippers got on the board with a Wyatt Toregas blast and manufactured another with a double-steal plating Tony Graffanino.

The Clippers took the lead at 5-4 in the fourth inning. The game was tied on RBI hits by Graffanino and Michael Aubrey and another double-steal resulted in the go ahead run. Brantley scored on a throwing error by the catcher.

The Chiefs rallied with back-to-back singles and an error allowed former Clipper Kory Casto score. The bullpens traded scoreless innings until the eighth when Bynum took Rich Rundles deep to right, his 3rd hit of the game and it was an opposite field home run. Logan Kensing set the Clippers down in order in the ninth for his sixth save of the year.

The second game of the series takes place at 7:00pm Saturday as Kirk Saarloos takes the mound against Garrett Mock.

Hillcats Slip By Kinston 5-3

The Kinston Indians lost their eighth straight game, falling to Lynchburg 5-3 Friday night in Virginia. The streak ties the Indians longest losing skid of the season.

Kinston took an early lead in the top of the third inning when Tim Fedroff scored on an error from Lynchburg second baseman Jose De Los Santos. Lonnie Chisenhall put Kinston up 3-0 with a two-run home run later in the inning. It was Chisenhall’s 13th home run of the season. Chisenhall has now hit a homer in three of his last four games. Chisenhall is third in the CL in home runs and second in RBI with 51.

The Hillcats would chip away at the lead with an RBI double from Miles Durham in the third inning and a solo home run from Jared Keel in the fourth. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Lynchburg took the lead for good on a two-RBI double from catcher Kris Watts. For the second straight start against Lynchburg, Kinston starter Paolo Espino was hit around. Espino (1-4) took the loss, giving up four runs on a season high ten hits. Kyle Landis came in from the pen for Kinston, giving up two hits and a run in two innings. Garrison Campfield pitched the eighth inning for Kinston, giving up one hit. Lynchburg starter Jeff Locke (2-4) gets the win for Lynchburg.

The K-Tribe (25-41) is now assured of finishing the first half of the season with the worst record in a half as a Cleveland Indians affiliate. The previous mark was in the second half of the 1994 season when the K-Tribe finished 28-41. The worst record in a half by the Kinston franchise in the Carolina League was a 19-49 record in the first half of the 1974 season.

Kinston will try to break their eight game losing streak Saturday night in Lynchburg at 6:05 pm. Eric Berger will take the hill for Kinston.

Captains Fall in 10 Innings

Zach Collier was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth inning and the Lakewood BlueClaws defeated the Lake County Captains 2-1 on Friday. The loss snapped a four game winning streak by the Captains.

The Captains got the lead in the top of the second inning when Adam Abraham walked and scored on a double by Chris Nash and it was 1-0. The game was tied up at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Steve Susdorf grounded out with Brendan Akashian scoring. The run, which was unearned, was the first run scored against the Captains in the last 30.2 innings.

Captains’ starter Danny Salazar did not get a decision going five innings and allowing one unearned run on seven hits while striking out four. David Roberts followed Salazar with three scoreless relief innings striking out two. Anillins Martinez (1-3) gave up the winning run in the bottom of the tenth and took the loss. BlueClaws starter Jon Velasquez did not get a decision either, pitching six innings and allowing a one run on three hits, walking three and striking out four. Rob Roth (2-1) pitched a scoreless tenth inning to pick up the win.

The Captains and BlueClaws play a day - night doubleheader on Saturday with game times at 1:00 PM and 7:05 PM. The Captains will send RHP Alexander Perez (5-2, 2.88) to the mound in game one to oppose RHP Tyler Cloyd (7-3, 3.05). In game two, LHP T.J. McFarland (2-3, 4.22) will face RHP Trevor May (0-0, 7.36).

Scrappers Win Season Opener, 6-5

Opening night started off with a bang on Friday night as the Scrappers collected two infield hits, then designated hitter John Allman delivered a double down the first base line chasing home two. After one the Scrappers had the lead 2-0. In the second the Scrappers added to the lead tacking on three more runs on a wild pitch and RBI singles from Bo Greenwell and Jason Smit and it was 5-0 Mahoning Valley after three.

In the fourth, the Jammers collected their first hit off of starter Kaimi Mead, a solo home run off of the bat of second baseman Ernesto Manzanillo. The Jammers added a second run on a walk, wild pitch and a ground out. So after four it was 5-2 Scrappers.

In the top of the seventh the Jammers worked even closer adding a solo run off of reliever Guido Fonseca and after the seventh inning stretch it was 5-3 Scrappers. In the bottom of the eighth the Scrappers loaded the bases, but could only muster one
run on a RBI double from John Allman and we went to the ninth 6-3 Scrappers.

In the ninth the Jammers added a solo home run from Chase Austin and a RBI double from Robert Taylor to cut the lead to 6-5, but reliever Brian Grening struck out two hitters looking with the tying run at third to preserve the win.

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