The Aeros held off a feverish B-Mets rally in the ninth to take an 11-8 decision Sunday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium. Designated hitter Nick Weglarz led a 17-hit barrage with a three-hit day featuring a grand slam homer and four RBI.
The two teams were held scoreless by starters Mike Antonini and Paolo Espino until the fourth inning. Antonini allowed the first four men to reach in the frame, including a Josh Rodriguez RBI single. After getting Wyatt Toregas to foul out, Tim Fedroff singled home another run to make it 2-0. With the bases still loaded, Lonnie Chisenhall came next and reached on fielder’s choice to first on which Evans threw home to force the runner. Montz attempted to complete the double play by throwing back to Evans, but his throw hit Chisenhall in the back, which proved pivotal. At that point, Antonini departed in favor of righty Josh Stinson who promptly cleared the bases courtesy of a grand slam by Nick Weglarz, pitting Akron (3-1) a 6-0 lead.
Binghamton got a run back in the bottom of the inning when leftfielder Lucas Duda lifted off with his second home run of the season, a solo shot to right. However, the Aeros struck for three more in the sixth, expanding their lead to eight at 9-1. Akron almost let the lead slip away after a late game rally by the B-Mets had them down just 9-7 going into the 9th inning, closer Vinnie Pestano was able to shut the door in the 9th inning.
Espino earned the win for the Aeros with 5.1 innings of three-run work, though reliever Bryan Price had a forgettable afternoon going 1.1 inning and allowing three runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. In addition to Weglarz, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall went 3-for-5 and centerfielder Tim Fedroff went 2-for-5 with 2 RBI to pace the offense
The Aeros now move on to face the Trenton Thunder Monday at 7:05 p.m. Lefty Ryan Edell takes the mound for the Aeros for the first time in 2010 against Trenton's DJ Mitchell.
Clippers Split Series With Indians
Designated hitter Carlos Santana blasted his International League leading fourth home run of the season in the first inning and the Columbus Clippers' offense sealed the victory with a sixth run seventh as they gained the series split with a 9-4 victory over the Indianapolis Indians on Sunday afternoon at Huntington Park.
With the loss the Indians fall to 2-2 on the season, while the win improves the Clippers' record to 2-2. The victory for Columbus also snaps their two-game losing streak.
Santana, who blasted three home runs in the first two games of series against the Indians, got the Clippers out to an early lead when he launched a two-out solo longball over the right field wall to give him the IL lead in home runs as well as give Columbus the early 1-0 lead.
The Indians, however, battled back to take the lead with two runs in the fourth sparked by a one out triple by 1B Steve Pearce. Following Pearce's triple, 2B Neil Walker got the Indians on the board with an RBI line drive single to right field, before stealing second and coming home himself on an single by C Luke Carlin that gave the Tribe a 2-1 advantage.
Columbus quickly responded with two runs of their own in bottom of the fifth inning propelled by a lead-off double by 3B Brian Buscher. The Clipper's third baseman eventually came around to score on a single by C Damaso Espino, before Espino gave Columbus back the lead when he touched home on a sacrifice fly by LF Trevor Crowe.
The Clippers offense then blew the game wide open in the seventh inning just as they did in their Opening Day victory over the Tribe. The Clippers' Opening Day offensive explosion saw them plate eight runs in the seventh inning of their 17-4 blowout win , where as they brought home six runners in the seventh frame of Sunday afternoon's 9-4 series finale victory.
The six-run seventh inning rally was started and ended by former Indianapolis Indians' infielder Brian Bixler, who led off the frame with a double to center and later scored the innings first tally on a single by CF Jose Constanza. Then following a sacrifice fly by SS Anderson Hernandez, a two-run single by RF Shelley Duncan and a run scoring single by Buscher, Bixler capped the rally by bringing home Duncan with his second double of the inning.
The Clippers had three batters collect multiple hits, including Buscher (3-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI), Bixler (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) and Constanza (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI). Columbus starter Yohan Pino (5.0 IP 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) struck out five in five innings of work to improve to 1-0 on the season.
Left-hander Scott Lewis is expected to make his return to the mound on Monday night against Louisville. Game time is at 6:35 pm.
K-Tribe Falls 5-1, Splits Series With Winston-Salem
K-Tribe starter T.J. House struck out a career high, but the bats never got going as Kinston fell 5-1 at the hands of Winston-Salem, Sunday afternoon at Historic Grainger Stadium.
The 20-year-old House struck out a career high ten batters in his Carolina League debut, allowing two runs on six hits while walking just one. Winston-Salem got to him in the top of the third inning, when Kyle Shelton led off with a single and Brandon Short drove him home with a triple. Short would score when Eduardo Escobar hit a sacrifice fly. The Dash would add three insurance runs late, when Kenny Williams Jr. and Drew Garcia, delivered back-to-back, two-out RBI hits in the top of the eighth inning. K-Tribe reliever Travis Turek was touched for the runs in the eighth. Kinston’s Santo Frias followed Turek for another great outing from the pen, throwing 1 1/3 hitless innings while striking our three.
The K-Tribe scored their only run of the game in the third inning when Ronald Rivas doubled with two-outs and was driven home on a single by Lucas Montero. Montero now has a 36 game consecutive on-base streak at Historic Grainger Stadium going back to June of last year. The K-Tribe’s Kyle Bellows went 2-for-4, as the Indians managed just five hits on the afternoon. Dash starter Nevin Griffith picked up the win, giving up just three hits in six innings.
The opening homestand continues as Kinston welcomes Wilmington to Historic Grainger Stadium on Monday. Wilmington will bring Major Leaguer Alex Gordon to Kinston, as the current Kansas City Royal is rehabbing from a hand injury. Start time 7 pm, Joey Mahalic will take the mound for Kinston.
Captains Win Fourth in the Row
Casey Frawley and Bo Greenwell paced the Captains offense, scoring seven of the team’s eight runs as Lake County defeated South Bend 8-2, Sunday afternoon. The Captains improved to 4-0 on the season.
Lake County jumped on the scoreboard in the first when Bo Greenwell scored on Alberto Diaz’s fielding error off Jeremie Tice’s base hit. Then Kyle Smith hit his first homerun of the year, giving the Captains a 2-0 edge in the second.
In the third, Frawley reached on Chris Owings’ throwing error and scored after Greenwell’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away by Silver Hawks starter Chase Anderson. Tice drove in Greenwell in the next at-bat with a double to left center putting Lake County up 4-0.
South Bend cut the lead in half after David Nick’s rbi single in the third and Alberto Diaz’s base hit in the fourth plated the second run.
Jeremie Tice and Bo Greenwell teamed up once more, as Tice doubled in Greenwell again in the fifth. Frawley singled to start the seventh and scored on Bo Greenwell’s base hit giving the Lake County a 6-2 lead.
Frawley picked up his fourth hit of the afternoon in the ninth, followed by Greenwell’s second hit of the game. Captains’ catcher Chun Chen’s two out base hit drove in Frawley for his third run of the game and Greenwell, who scored his fourth, putting Lake County up 8-2.
Marty Popham (1-0) started for the Captains going five strong innings, surrendering just two runs on seven hits, and striking out three for the win. Austin Adams earned the save as he closed the game out tossing the last four frames, giving up just one hit, and striking out five. Anderson (0-1) went 4.1 allowing five runs, only two of which were earned, suffering the loss.
Lake County and South Bend will resume the three game series tomorrow night at 6:30pm. The Captains will start RHP Clayton Cook (0-0) against Silver Hawks starter LHP Dan Taylor (0-0). Tune in and hear the game on the Captains Flagship Station 1330AM WELW and on the internet at captainsbaseball.com. The Captains will return home on Saturday April 17 against the Fort Wayne Tin Caps. Game time is 4:00PM.
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2 comments:
Why isn't Alexander Perez starting for Kinston? Does he have an injury of some sort?
Just answered it in the IPI Inbox...some arm tightness, looks like he could be back on Sunday.
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