Game Recaps: Friday 6/26

Clippers fall

Rochester beat the Clippers 6-1 in the finale of an eight-game road swing.

Both starters, Chuck Lofgren and Brian Deunsing, were on top of their game. The Wings scored two runs in the third, assisted by a defensive miscue, to take an early lead. The Clippers scored their only run in the fourth. Tony Graffanino smashed his second of three doubles, and Andy Marte scored him with a single to make it 2-1.

The score held until the eighth with Lofgren and Deunsing dueling back and forth, but Rochester got to Lofgren in a big way, scoring three times off and adding one more off reliever Frank Herrmann.

Deunsing allowe only one run in eight innings while earning the victory. Jesse Crain pitched the scoreless ninth.

Aeros continue hot streak

The best team in professional baseball continued its hot play, as the Aeros defeated the Binghamton Mets by the final score of 3-1 in front of 7,403 fans at Canal Park Friday night. It was the 16th win in 20 games for Akron, as they improved to a season-high 26 games over .500 at 49-23 behind the efforts of Nick Weglarz offensively and starter Hector Rondon on the mound. The B-Mets fell to 6-19 in the month of June and 27-45 overall.

Akron’s first run came in the bottom for the fourth inning, as Carlos Santana began the frame by lining a double to the right-center field wall, tying Beau Mills for the team-lead with 17 two-baggers on the season. A groundout from Mills advanced Santana to third base, and a wild pitch from Binghamton starter Eric Brown gave the Aeros the 1-0 lead. Akron manufactured another run in the fifth inning as Jared Goedert drew a leadoff walk and Jose Constanza followed with a sacrifice bunt. Weglarz then drew another free pass with two outs, and Santana’s RBI single scored Goedert to make it 2-0 although Weglarz was tagged out between second and third to end the inning.

The Aeros gathered a key insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Constanza began the frame with a walk before giving way to pinch runner Jerad Head. Cristo Arnal then laid down the second sac bunt of the game, advancing Head just in time for the red-hot Weglarz. The burly Canadian slugger smacked a double down the right field line to make it 3-0, collecting his ninth RBI in four games and his team-leading 52nd on the year. Binghamton responded in the eighth with a one-out RBI single from Ike Davis, but closer Vinnie Pestano recorded the last out while stranding the two tying runs in scoring position and accounting for the final margin of the evening.

Rondon (7-4) delivered 5.2 innings of two-hit baseball for his first win since May 25th, and in his past three starts has now worked 14.1 consecutive scoreless frames with just six hits and three walks while recording 13 strikeouts. Brown (4-7) allowed 10 base runners in 5.1 innings in defeat, and Pestano picked up the final four outs in order for his 21st save, tied for the most saves in either the minor or major leagues. Weglarz finished the night 1-3 with a walk and the RBI double, extending his team-high consecutive game on-base streak to 20 straight games while Arnal walked in the third and reached for the 16th straight game. Santana was the only Aero with more than one hit, finishing 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI.

K-Tribe continues to struggle

Salem shutout Kinston for the second straight night, this time beating the K-Tribe 7-0 Friday at Historic Grainger Stadium. It is the first time Kinston has been shutout in consecutive games in more than five seasons.

Kinston starter Bryce Stowell (0-4) got into trouble early, walking the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the first inning. With the bases full, former UNC Tar Heel Tim Federovich hit a two RBI double in his first Carolina League at-bat. The timely hit put Salem up 2-0, Federovich would end the night 3-for-5. Salem would add two more runs with three straight, two-out singles in the bottom of the second inning.

Stowell took the loss, giving up four earned runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. Chen-Chang Lee, Kyle Landis and Garrison Campfield each gave up an earned run from the Kinston bullpen. Salem’s Seth Garrison got the win for Salem. The K-Tribe offense finished the night with six hits, tying a season high with five doubles in the contest.

Captains start season 2-0

The Lake County Captains scored five times in the bottom of the eighth inning to turn a one run lead into a six run victory beating the Hagerstown Suns 9-3 on Friday. This is the first time all year the Captains have been two games over .500.

The Captains broke out on top in the bottom of the fourth inning when with Adam Abraham at second, Chris Nash singled him home to give the Captains a 1-0 lead. The Suns scored twice in the top of the sixth inning when with runners at second and third base, Steven Souza singled home both runners to make it a 2-1 game.

The Captains took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when Nate Recknagel lead off the inning with his fifth home run of the year and three batters later Delvi Cid knocked in Mark Thompson. Cid scored on a RBI single from Matt Willard and it was 4-2. The Suns got to within a run in the top of the eighth inning when Charlie Fermaint singled home Derek Norris to cut the lead to 4-3.

The Captains runs in the bottom of the eighth inning scored on RBI's by Delvi Cid and Adam Abraham and three others scored on an error.

Captains' starter T.J. House did not get a decision going six innings and allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits, walking none and striking out five. Mike McGuire (5-3) followed House and got the win pitching two innings and allowing one run while striking out five. Suns starter Brad Peacock did not get a decision either working five innings and allowing one run on one hit, walking three and striking out a season high eight batters. Austin Garrett (3-2) took the loss allowing three runs on five hits in two innings of work.

Posted in: