Game Recaps: Sunday 6/6

Clippers blank Braves 12-0

Columbus blanked Gwinnett 12-0 in the opening game of a four-game series at Gwinnett Stadium.

Chuck Lofgren, in his second start with Columbus, was locked in a scoreless battle with Jeff Lyman through four innings, but the Clippers lit the scoreboard in the fifth. Andy Cannizaro, Damaso Espino and Michael Brantley had consecutive singles to break the tie.

Tony Graffanino and Michael Aubrey followed Brantley with RBI singles of their own and when the smoke cleared, the Clippers had scored five runs in the fifth inning.

One inning later, the Clippers looked like they would go quietly after a walk and double-play made it two outs with the bases empty. However, the Clippers rattled off eight consecutive hits including a Brantley homer and an Andy Marte two-run double to score six times in the frame and make it an 11-0 lead for Lofgren. The scoring would be capped by a Matt LaPorta solo homer in the eighth inning.

Chuck Lofgren earned his first triple-A victory by delivering seven scoreless innings before handing the ball off to Blaine Neal. Neal retired three in a row in the eighth. Masa Kobayashi finished off the shutout effort, the first shutout of the season for the Clippers.

The Clippers and Braves meet again Sunday at 2:00pm. Right-hander Jack Cassel will face Gwinnett's Tony Armas.

Aeros and Curve Trade Shutouts in Split

Akron and Altoona split a doubleheader at Blair County Ballpark before 4,281 fans Saturday night, swapping shutouts in the process. The Aeros took game one 1-0 in nine innings before the Curve returned the favor with a 3-0 triumph in the nightcap.

Jake Westbrook looked excellent in his rehab start in game one, allowing just a hit and a walk and needing only 39 of his allotted 50 pitches to get through three innings. Altoona’s Brad Lincoln went seven innings however, holding Akron to just three singles and a walk as the game remained scoreless entering extra innings. Jeff Sues relieved Lincoln in the eighth and kept the Aeros off the board, but in the ninth he made a mistake on a 1-2 fastball and Carlos Santana crushed a solo home run to right. It was Santana’s 10th of the year and all the offense Akron would need, as Vinnie Pestano locked it down with a perfect ninth for his league-leading 13th save.

Erik Stiller (3-3) earned the win for Akron, tossing a perfect eighth and striking out a pair. Sues (1-3) suffered the loss, his second against the Aeros. Pestano’s save was his first since May 19th. Santana finished 2-4 to pace the offense, and it was Akron’s fifth shutout of the year.

In game two it was Altoona that used the long ball to get a win, as Aeros starter Josh Judy walked Jeff Corsaletti with one away in the bottom of the second and hit Jamie Romak with two down to keep the inning alive for Miguel Perez. Sure enough, Perez hammered a 1-0 offering over the fence in left-center to make it 3-0, providing the final margin.

Former Aero Sean Smith (2-1) dazzled in the nightcap, going the distance for his second career shutout (his first was in an Akron uniform on May 14th, 2006 against Harrisburg). Smith allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out a season-high seven. Judy (0-2) took the loss, with Perez’s home run the only hit against him in three frames. Brian Grening followed Judy and impressed in his Akron debut, delivering three shutout innings and notching three strikeouts.

The Aeros will at long last wrap-up their 11-game, 10-day, three-city road trip with the finale of this four-game series at 6:05 p.m. Sunday. Left-hander Ryan Edell (1-0, 2.81 ERA) will go for Akron with Yoslan Herrera (3-0, 4.13 ERA) taking the hill for Altoona.

Kinston Falls 7-6 at Winston-Salem

The K-Tribe banged out six runs on 12 hits, but three costly errors resulting in three unearned runs were the difference as Kinston fell to Winston-Salem 7-6 Saturday night in the Triad.

With the score tied at one in the bottom of the fifth inning an error by Kinston shortstop Ronald Rivas was the key piece in a one walk, two single, and two run inning for Winston-Salem. Jimmy Gallagher and Lee Cruz each had RBI singles to help the Dash take a 3-1 lead.

The K-Tribe would come right back as Alex Castillo slammed a two-RBI double off of the outfield wall, scoring Matt Brown and Lucas Montero to tie the score at three in the top of the sixth inning.

The good times would be short lived as Winston-Salem would put up a four spot in the bottom of the sixth inning. Winston-Salem broke the tie with a solo home run by Salvador Sanchez with one out in the inning. Logan Johnson would follow with a single. One batter later, Kent Gerst hit a bouncing ball to Rivas who committed his second error of the game. After a ground out advanced the runners, three straight two-out hits gave the Dash a 7-3 lead. Rivas came into the game having committed only five errors in 41 contests this season.

Kinston would make it a game in the seventh inning, when Matt Brown hit a bases loaded, two-RBI double. Brown would later score on an RBI ground out by Rivas making the score 7-6 Dash. Eight of the nine K-Tribe batters reached base with a hit, as Tim Fedroff and Brown each had two hits for Kinston. Castillo went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

K-Tribe starter Ryan Morris (3-6) took the loss, going 5 2/3 innings, giving up eight eights and six runs. Three of the runs given up by Morris were unearned. He struck out three and walked one. Chen-Chang Lee finished the game for Kinston, giving up one run on four hits. Lee struck out four and did not walk a batter.

The K-Tribe will try to avoid the four game sweep, taking on Winston-Salem in the Triad Sunday at 5pm. Bryce Stowell will be the starting pitcher for Kinston.

Captains and Suns Split

The Lake County Captains and the Hagerstown Suns had waited since Wednesday to complete the game they started and the Rallied back to get a 5-1 win. In the regularly scheduled game, the Suns defeated the Captains 3-1. Two games in the series were rained out and it has not been determined if they will be made up.

The suspended game was resumed in the bottom of the fourth inning with the score tied at 1-1. The Captains scored twice in the top of the fifth inning when Donnie Webb singled home Adam White and Abner Abreu and it was 3-1. The Captains tacked on two more runs in the top of the eighth inning when Chris Nash singled home Adam Abraham and then Abreu scored on a passed ball and the Captains led 5-1.

Captains’ starter Trey Haley went 3.1 innings and allowed one run on two hits, walking three and striking out three. Chris Jones made his 2009 Captains debut when played resumed and got the win pitching 4.2 scoreless innings allowing one hit, walking one and striking out four. Brad Peacock took the loss and saw his record fall to 1-5.

In game two, the Captains took the lead in the first inning when Abner Abreu scored from third base on a double steal and it was 1-0. The Suns captured the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Charlie Fermaint singled home Steven Souza and Sandy Leon doubled home Fermaint to make it 2-1. It went to 3-1 when Derrick Norris doubled home Steve Lombardozzi in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Captains’ starter T.J. House (1-6) took the loss lasting 4.1 innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits, walking one and striking out five. Marco Frias (4-1) got the win in relief pitching three scoreless innings.

The Captains open a nine game home stand on Monday at 7:00 PM against the Delmarva Shorebirds, the class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Captains will RHP Danny Salazar (1-2, 6.65) on the mound to face the Shorebirds LHP Rick Zagone (4-4, 3.35).

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