Game Recaps: Saturday 6/27

Bulls Bash Clippers 12-5

Durham hammered the Clippers 12-5 Saturday in the series opener at Huntington Park.
The game start poorly for the Clippers when Durham scored four runs in the first. It began with the second pitch of the game, a homer by Henry Mate. Columbus committed three errors in the inning, two by Jordan Brown at first base.

Clippers starter Jack Cassel settled down retiring 14 of the next 15 batters, but in the sixth inning, Matt Joyce doubled and scored on a Justin Ruggiano single. Jon Weber doubled and Ray Olmedo was intentionally walked to load the bases. Craig Albernaz broke the game open with a bases clearing double chasing Cassel from the game. Blaine Neal entered and immediately gave up a two-run blast to Mateo, his second homer of the game, extending the Bulls lead to 10-0.

The bleeding didn't stop when in the seventh. Chris Richard and Weber singled before Ray Sadler plated Richard with a hit. The Bulls added one more in the eighth on a home run by Reid Brignac, putting Durham ahead 12-0.

The Clippers broke up the shutout in the ninth inning, scoring five runs on a single by Andy Marte, a bases loaded walk by Damaso Espino and a two run double by Niuman Romero. Mickey Hall, in the game for Michael Brantley, grounded into a fielder's choice scoring the fifth and final run.

The Clippers attempt to even the series on Sunday at 5:00pm. Lefty Zach Jackson takes the mound for the Clippers against Durham's Matt DeSalvo.

Big Blasts Lead to 8-3 Akron Victory

The Aeros struck for five runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back, rolling to an 8-3 victory over Binghamton before 4,187 fans at Canal Park Saturday evening. Akron won for the 17th time in 21 games and improved to 50-23 overall, while the B-Mets continued their slide in the opposite direction, losing for the 20th time in 26 games this month to sit at 27-46 overall.

Akron jumped out of the gates early and often against Binghamton starter Brad Holt, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single from Asdrubal Cabrera with only one out in the bottom of the first. Beau Mills then laced a single up the middle to score a pair before Matt McBride drove a three-run homer down the left field line to make it 5-0 just six batters into the game. It was McBride’s third homer of the year as an Aero and gave him 60 RBI for the season between Akron and Class A Kinston, tied for seventh in minor league baseball.

Another home run paced Akron in the fourth inning, as John Drennen and Jared Goedert starting things off with a single and a walk, respectively. Mets reliever Stephen Clyne then hit Cabrera with a pitch to load the bases, but was on the verge of getting out of the inning when Cristo Arnal lined into a double play. Nick Weglarz made sure the Aeros would capitalize however, booming a three-run homer over the bleachers in right to stretch the margin to 8-0. The blast extended his hitting streak to six games and his on-base streak to 21 straight contests.

The B-Mets avoided the shutout on an RBI double from Jose Coronado and a run-scoring groundout from Emmanuel Garcia in the fifth, and cut the deficit to 8-3 in the sixth when Lucas Duda flared an RBI single to right-center for the final margin.

Josh Tomlin (8-4) earned the win and notched his team-leading seventh quality start of the season while becoming just the second player in both the Eastern League and the Indians minor league system with eight wins. He allowed just three runs, six hits and a walk while striking out seven in a season-high seven innings of work. Holt (0-1) took the loss for the B-Mets as he recorded only one out in his first outing since spraining his ankle June 1st, and he permitted five runs, three hits and two walks in the shortest outing of his professional career. Erik Stiller worked two scoreless innings of relief, marking his 11th scoreless outing in his past 12 relief appearances (0.50 ERA in his last 18.0 innings). Mills, McBride and Weglarz drove in all the runs for the Aeros, and the outfield trio of McBride, Drennen, and Jerad Head went a combined 7-12.

Akron and Binghamton partake in game three of this four-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. Left-hander Aaron Laffey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his second rehab start with the Aeros as he makes his way back to Cleveland after suffering a strained right oblique May 22nd at Cincinnati, and is expected to face Binghamton’s Jenrry Mejia (0-3, 3.74 ERA).

Kinston Falls in 14 innings

Kinston scored runs in both the eighth and ninth to force extra frames, but fell 3-2 in 14 innings Saturday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. The 14 inning game was the longest game (in innings) this season; it lasted four hours and eighteen minutes.

It was a pitcher’s duel for the first two hours of the game as Salem starter Casey Kelly had a perfect game going with one out in the bottom of the seventh. A lofty liner by Cord Phelps went off the glove of Salem shortstop Yamaico Navarro for an error to break up the perfect game. Lonnie Chisenhall then broke up the no hitter with a single in the next at bat.

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Kinston would get their first run of the game with an RBI double by Adam Davis. The run broke a 25 inning scoreless streak for Kinston. The K-Tribe would start the comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning when Salem reliever Jason Rice walked the first two batters he faced. After a sacrifice bunt by Ronald Rivas put runners at second and third, Lucas Montero would tie the game scoring on a wild pitch. Rice would escape the inning by striking out Ryan Blair and Richard Martinez and strand Roman Pena on third base.

The game would remain scoreless for the next five innings as Salem reliever Jose Capellan worked four shutout innings, allowing just one hit, a walk and two strikeouts in relief. In the top of the 14th, Kinston's David Roberts (0-1) took the hill for the first time in his Carolina League career and the first batter he faced, Kris Negron, hit a harmless ground ball to the shortstop Rivas. But his throw to first was dropped by Blair, and Negron reached on the error. After a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch moved Negron to third with one out, Jason Place chopped the ball slowly to Lonnie Chisenhall at third base whose only play was to first. Negron scored what would be the winning run on the play, as Salem's Josh Papelbon got Doug Pickens to ground out to first with one on in the bottom of the 14th to end the game.

Kinston will now start a four-game series Sunday with a special 5 pm start as Myrtle Beach comes to town. The K-Tribe's Eric Berger will take the hill for the Indians.

Captains Fall in Fourteen Innings 4-3

Steve Lombardozzi scored from third base on a wild pitch in the top of the fourteenth inning to give the Hagerstown Suns a 4-3 victory over the Lake County Captains on Saturday. The Captains are now 5-7 in extra inning games.

The Captains struck in the bottom of the first inning when Devi Cid doubled and then scored on a RBI single by Nate Recknagel to give the Captains a 1-0 lead. The Suns came right back in the top of the second inning when Robbie Jacobsen singled home a run and a second run scored on a throwing error to give the Suns a 2-1 lead. The Captains tied it up in the bottom of the sixth inning when with two outs Mark Thompson doubled. He stole third and when the throw to third was wild, he came home to score to tie the game at 2-2.

In the twelfth inning, Derek Norris singled home Steve Lombardozzi to give the Suns a 3-2 lead. The Captains stole a run in the bottom of the inning when with runners at first and third, Michael Valadez scored from third when Delvi Cid ran into a run down between first and second and Valadez scored before Cid was tagged out.

Captains’ starter Danny Salazar did not get a decision going five innings and allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits, walking none and striking out three. Matt Langwell (0-3) took the loss allowing the run in the fourteenth inning. Suns starter Paul Demny did not get a decision either working 5.2 innings and allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits, walking two and striking out three. Justin Phillabaum (1-2) got the win pitching two scoreless innings.

The Captains and Suns play a special Sunday night game at 7:00 PM. The Captains will have RHP Trey Haley (2-3, 5.16) on the mound against Suns RHP Marco Frias (4-2, 2.65).

Crosscutters Take Series From Scrappers

For the first time this season the Mahoning Valley Scrappers have lost consecutive games as they fell on Saturday night at Williamsport to the Cutters 6-1. The Scrappers scored first in the top of the fourth when Greg Folgia doubled and then scored on an RBI single from Jordan Henry. The Cutters responded scoring four in the bottom of the inning and then added single runs in the fourth and eight to record the victory. With the loss the Scrappers have dropped their first series of the season, two games to one to the Crosscutters.

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