Game Recaps: Sunday 8/30

Aeros Clinch Division, Though Fall 5-3

The Aeros missed an opportunity to clinch the Southern Division title in front of the home faithful Sunday afternoon, dropping a 5-3 final to the Binghamton Mets before 4,867 fans at Canal Park. Akron (81-53) clinched the title with a loss by Reading in a game played later in the evening.

The B-Mets struck first in the first, as consecutive doubles from Jose Coronado and Ike Davis put the visitors on the board. DJ Wabick added an RBI single later in the inning to take a 2-0 lead, but the Aeros cut the margin in half in the bottom of the inning on Jerad Head’s two-out RBI base hit.

Binghamton got the run right back in the top of the second as Salvador Paniagua led off the inning with a first-pitch home run to left-center however, and Davis added a solo blast of his own in the third to make it 4-1.

Aeros starter Bobby Livingston settled in from there and kept the B-Mets off the board for the next four innings, but Akron could manage only an RBI double from Armando Camacaro in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-2.

The Mets got a big insurance run in the top of the eighth on Davis’ broken bat RBI single to center with two strikes and two outs, and though Akron did push a run across in the bottom of the ninth on Jose Constanza’s groundout, the Aeros never got the potential tying run to the plate.

Eric Brown (6-14) earned his first win in a month for Binghamton, allowing just two unearned runs and five hits in six innings. Livingston (2-5) surrendered five runs and nine hits in 7.2 innings in the defeat. No Aeros had multi-hit games after seven players accomplished the feat Saturday night.

Akron will try to salvage a split in this four-game series Monday evening, as All-Star Jeanmar Gomez (10-4, 3.09 ERA) takes on B-Mets left-hander Mike Antonini (7-3, 4.84 ERA).

Milone Outstanding as Nats Survive in Finale

A day after the P-Nats nearly completed an epic comeback of an 8-0 deficit, the Kinston Indians nearly matched the feat on Sunday afternoon, making the P-Nats sweat it out on a muggy day in North Carolina; a day in which the P-Nats salvaged the finale of this three-game series, winning by the score of 7-5.
After the Nationals bullpen needed to pitch 23 combined innings in the past three contests, Potomac desperately needed an efficient and effective outing from starter Tom Milone on Sunday afternoon and the lefty obliged with a seven-inning, shutout performance. The southpaw matched his career high in strikeouts with nine and did not walk a batter in his outing. With the victory, Milone (11-5) is now tied for the league lead in victories and lowered his ERA to 3.08, good for fourth in the Carolina League.

After the K-Tribe put together big innings early in the previous two ballgames, the P-Nats returned the favor in the finale, putting a run on the board in the first inning on the strength of a Danny Espinosa solo home run off the batter's eye in centerfield. For Espinosa, it was his 17th home run of the season, good for second on the team.

The score would stay that way until the fifth frame when Stephen King powered his first home run since his return off the disabled list over the left field wall for his seventh round-tripper of the season.

The Nats would add another in the seventh on a Michael Martinez RBI single to push the lead to 3-0, and a four spot in the top of the ninth to seemingly put the game out of reach at 7-0. In that frame, Espinosa had a two-run single with the bases loaded, and Devin Ivany lofted a sacrifice fly.

The K-Tribe would not go quietly on a scorching day at Grainger Stadium, plating five runs on five hits and two walks to turn a rout into a nail-biter at 7-5. A huge double play induced by Cole Kimball was the turning point in the frame, and Kimball struck out Roman Pena, the tying run, looking to end the ballgame and give the P-Nats a victory in their final road game of the season.

Captains End SAL Home Games With a Win

The Lake County Captains played their last home game in the South Atlantic League with an 8-2 win over the Lakewood BlueClaws. The Captains head to the Midwest League in 2010.

The BlueClaws grabbed a first inning lead when Brian Gump singled home Travis d’Arnaud and Lakewood led 1-0. The Captains tied it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning when Bo Greenwell bounced into a double play as Jeremie Tice scored. The Captains took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Bo Greenwell cracked his second home run of the year to give the Captains a 2-1 lead. Greenwell drove in another run with a single that scored Chris Nash in the bottom of the fifth inning to up the lead to 3-1.

The Captains added another run in the bottom of the sixth inning on a ground out by Chris Nash and the Captains led 4-1. The BlueClaws cut the lead to 4-2 in the top of the seventh inning when Harold Garcia drove home Korby Mintken. The Captains had a big seventh inning scoring three times on a two run double from Delvi Cid and a RBI single by Matt Willard and the Captains led 7-2. It went to 8-2 when Roberto Perez hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Captains starter T.J. McFarland (9-4) got the win pitching 5.1 innings and allowing one run on three hits, walking three and striking out six. BlueClaws starter Heitor Correa (7-8) took the loss working five innings and allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out five.

The Captains will finish the season with an eight game road trip beginning Monday at 7:05 PM in Delmarva. The Captains will send LHP T.J. House (5-10, 3.14) to the hill to face the Shoebirds LHP Nathan Moreau (5-3, 3.70).

Scrappers Postponed Again

Sunday's Mahoning Valley Scrappers vs. Jamestown Jammers doubleheader scheduled for Diethrick Park in Jamestown, NY was rained out. Both games will be made up as part of doubleheaders (2 seven inning games) to be played at Eastwood Field in Niles, OH. The first doubleheader will be Wednesday September 2nd at 6:05 PM.The second doubleheader will be Thursday September 3rd at 6:05 PM. Gates will open at 5:00 PM prior to both games.

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