Game Recaps: Thursday 8/27

Aeros clinch playoff spot
Akron clinched its fifth straight trip to the post-season and also set a new Eastern League record by winning at least 80 games for the fifth straight year with an 11-5 triumph over Bowie before 1,612 fans at Prince George's Stadium Thursday night. The Aeros improved to 80-51 and finished 4-4 on this eight-game road trip, while the Baysox slipped to 66-64. The Aeros also became the first team in EL history (dating to 1923) to record five straight 80-win seasons, breaking a tie with the 1976-79 West Haven Yankees.

Lonnie Chisenhall had a huge night offensively and started early, hammering the first pitch of the second inning deep to right field for a solo home run that tied the contest at 2-2. Akron added a run later in the inning to take the lead, and Chisenhall then doubled the margin to 4-2 with his second home run of the night in the top of the third. Bowie pulled within a run in the bottom of the third, but Akron got a key insurance run in the top of the fifth as Beau Mills raced home on a shallow sacrifice fly to left by Carlos Rivero to put the Aeros in front 5-3.
Akron then pulled away for good in the top of the sixth as Chisenhall drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-3, and Jerad Head delivered the back-breaker with a two-run double to put the Aeros ahead by five.

Josh Tomlin (13-9) earned the win with five efficient innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits. He walked two and struck out seven, and became just the seventh player in franchise history to win at least 13 games in a season. Bowie'a Fredy Deza (5-6) took the loss, surrendering five runs and eight hits in four innings. Akron pounded out 15 hits in the game, with Head, Mills, and Jose Constanza all collecting three apiece. Constanza also tied a team season-high with four runs scored, while Carlos Santana drove in his 89th run of the year with a sac fly in the ninth and is now tied for third on the franchise's single-season list.

K-Tribe eliminate Keys from playoff contention
The Frederick Keys' small playoff hopes were dashed Thursday night. The Keys dropped the finale of a four-game set to the Kinston Indians, 5-2. With the loss, and the Wilmington Blue Rocks win, Frederick will miss the playoffs for the second season in a row.

The Keys jumped on the scoreboard first. In the top half of the second inning, Frederick loaded the bases against RHP Alexander Perez. He walked the number nine hitter in C Billy Killian, knocking in a run and making it 1-0.

Kinston would tie the game in their half of the second. 1B Ole Sheldon and C Doug Pickens led off the inning with back-to-back singles off of Keys' RHP Sean Gleason. 3B Adam Davis sacrificed the two runners over. SS Ronald Rivas then grounded out to short, knocking in Sheldon from third and tying the game at one.

The K-Tribe took the lead for good in the fifth. Rivas led off the inning with a single. A batter later, CF Adam White doubled, putting two in scoring position for LF Lucas Montero. The speedy outfielder grounded out to short. It knocked in Rivas and gave Kinston the lead. The next batter, DH Tim Fedroff, knocked in White with a single, making it 3-1.

Gleason would exit after the sixth. He surrendered three runs, all earned, on nine hits in six innings of work. Gleason walked one and struck out three.

Kinston would get some more breathing room in the seventh. RHP Brett Jacobson walked the lead off man White. Montero then doubled off the center field wall, putting runners on second and third. Sheldon lifted a sac fly to knock in White. Pickens then picked up his fourth hit of the game, an RBI single that drove in Montero, and made it 5-1

The Keys scored once more in the eighth. 3B Brandon Waring led things off with a bunt single. He eventually scored on 2B Buck Britton's infield hit, making it 5-2.

RHP Bryce Stowell (4-6) got the win for the K-Tribe. He tossed 3.1 shut out innings of relief. Gleason (4-7) took the loss. RHP Kyle Landis recorded the final three outs for his seventh save of the season.

Birds blank Captains
Xavier Avery hit a bunt single that scored L.J. Hoes from third base in the top of the second inning and that was all the scoring in the game as the Delmarva Shorebirds shutout the Lake County Captains 1-0 on Thursday. The Birds took two of the three games in the series.

Captains starter Nick Hagadone (5-10) took the loss did not get a decision pitching three innings and allowing one runs on three hits, walking one and striking out three. Matt Langwell followed Hagadone and worked two scoreless innings. Travis Turek came on in the sixth inning and threw three scoreless innings striking out four. Brian Grening pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Shorebirds starter Cole McCurry (6-8) got the win working six scoreless innings allowing six hits, walking one and striking out six. Cliff Flagello pitched the final two innings to pick up his sixth save of the year and his second in the series.

Scrappers shutout Muckdogs
On Thursday night, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers wrapped up a three game homestand with a 3-0 win over the Batavia Muckdogs. With the win the Scrappers are now 43-23 overall and 23-10 at Eastwood Field. The Scrappers victory and the Williamsport Crosscutters loss Thursday night makes Mahoning Valley's magic number to clinch the Pinckney Division at four.

Scrappers starter Marty Popham earned his sixth win this season, pitching 5 innings. He gave up no runs on four hits while striking out five, bringing Popham's season total strikeouts to 78, the second most in a single season in Scrappers history. Antwonie Hubbard pitched the next three innings and gave up one hit. Cory Burns pitched the ninth inning and recorded his eleventh save in thirteen chances.

The Scrappers scored first in the 2nd when Rafael Vera delivered an RBI single to centerfield. Mahoning Valley added to the lead in the 3rd when Ben Carlson doubled driving home Jason Kipnis with the second Scrappers run. Carlson added another RBI in the 5th with a single, again scoring from 3rd was Kipnis. The Muckdogs were unable to score against Scrappers pitching and Mahoning Valley recorded the 3-0 victory.

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