Gomez, Head lead Aeros in 6-2 Win

Jeanmar Gomez carried a shutout into the seventh and Jerad Head drove in three more runs as Akron claimed a 6-2 victory over Reading in game two of the Southern Division Championship Series before 3,450 fans at Canal Park Thursday night. The Aeros now lead the best-of-five series two games to none, with game three set for Friday night at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading.

Gomez and Phillies starter Yohan Flande were locked in a pitchers duel for the first three innings, but Akron broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Carlos Santana, who didn’t get a ball out of the infield in game one, demolished Flande’s first offering into the canal beyond the left field fence to stake the Aeros to a 1-0 lead. Akron would go on to load the bases with no one out and plated two more runs, as Carlos Rivero made it 2-0 with an RBI fielder’s choice and Reading’s Domonic Brown overran Head’s fly ball down the right field line as it bounced in fair territory for an RBI double.

The Aeros tacked on three more runs in the sixth, as Head smacked a two-run double to left-center and Jose Constanza followed with an RBI two-bagger over Michael Taylor’s head in left field to put Akron in front 6-0.

Reading got on the board with Brian Stavisky’s sacrifice fly in the seventh, while Kevin Mahar’s seeing-eye RBI single in the eighth cut the lead to 6-2. Reliever Carlton Smith stopped the rally there however, striking out All-Star Neil Sellers and getting Brown to ground out to first to keep the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.

Gomez (1-0) earned the win with six quality innings, allowing just one run while scattering six hits. He walked one and struck out three. Flande (0-1) lasted just four innings, giving up three runs on six hits. Head finished 2-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI and has now driven in seven runs in the first two games of the series, with all the damage coming from the no.-9 spot in the order. Lonnie Chisenhall finished 3-3 and is now batting .833 in the series, while Santana and Matt McBride also chipped in two knocks apiece as Akron finished with 12 hits for the second straight night.

The Aeros will look for the series sweep at 7:05 p.m. Friday night at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading. Left-hander Eric Berger (3-1, 2.67 ERA) will take the mound for Akron while the Phillies will send Mike Cisco (2-4, 4.58 ERA).

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