Game Recap 6/12: Aeros Win, Break Record

Aeros Break Record In 12-5 Win

The Aeros set a new franchise record with their 12th straight victory as the offense exploded in a 12-5 win over the Portland Sea Dogs Saturday night at Canal Park. A crowd of 2,867 witnessed the home team blast out of the gates for four runs in each of the first two innings en route to the historic win. The previous record of 11 wins in a row was set in June 2002 when Akron finished with the best record in baseball at 93-48. The victory helped the Aeros (32-30) remain in the wild card spot in the Western Division while the Sea Dogs (32-29) still have not won a regular season series in Ohio since 1999.

Center fielder Tim Fedroff and new second baseman Jason Kipnis began the bottom of the first with back-to-back walks to lead the monster offensive start. Hot-hitting Lonnie Chisenhall then blooped a single to center where Portland’s Matt Sheely fumbled the ball, advancing all three runners and scoring the first run. Matt McBride made it a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly and John Drennen provided a run-scoring groundout. The onslaught continued as Carlos Rivero nailed another RBI single, giving Akron a four-run advantage.

Sea Dogs starter Ryne Miller continued to struggle in the second as he again permitted leadoff walks to Fedroff and Kipnis. This time, Chisenhall scored both runners with a lining double to right and McBride doubled again to bring the edge to 7-0. Drennen then hit an RBI single while another Fedroff walk started a third inning rally. Chisenhall promptly greeted reliever Santo Luis and scored Fedroff with his second two-bagger of the game.

Portland began a brief comeback in the top of the fourth inning as Akron starting pitcher Nick Hagadone had trouble finding the strike zone. He walked five batters in the frame, including a pair with the bases loaded as the Sea Dogs cut the deficit to 9-3.

Paolo Espino entered the game in relief of Hagadone to end the fourth inning and shutout the Sea Dogs until the seventh. Red-hot left fielder Chih-Hsien Chiang then pounded a two-run homer to center to make it a four-run game again. The comeback attempt would be futile as Drennen tripled in a three-run Akron eighth for the night’s final insurance runs.

Espino improved to 7-2 despite allowing five hits and the two runs in 3.1 innings of relief and Miller (2-4) allowed the first nine runs in the loss. Chen-Chang Lee also tossed two shutout frames for Akron as the seven-run margin of victory was the largest this season.

The 3-6 hitters in the Akron lineup did the majority of the damage offensively as Chisenhall, McBride, Drennen and Rivero combined to hit 11-19 on the night with 10 RBI and six runs scored. Fedroff also had a record-breaking achievement, as he became the 13th different Aero to record four walks in a game in franchise history.

Columbus takes opener against Norfolk, 6-2

The Columbus Clippers defeated the Norfolk Tides, 6-2 on Saturday night at Huntington Park in front of 10,100 fans to open a four game series. The two teams not only battled each other but also the elements, as there was a 46 minute rain delay halting play in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Clippers trailed 2-0 prior to the rain delay as Michael Aubrey, in his return to Huntington Park, hit his fourth home run of the season in the top of the third inning off of starter Josh Tomlin. Blake Davis followed Aubrey's home run in the third with one of his own, his second of the season.

Once play resumed in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Clippers started pounding the baseball. With two men on base, Jose Constanza swung at the first pitch he saw and drove in Lou Marson on an RBI groundout to the second baseman.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Marson drove in his first run in Columbus on an RBI double to left, scoring Matt LaPorta. Jared Goedert gave the Clippers the lead on an RBI single to left field driving in Nick Weglarz and Marson came in to score the Clippers fourth run of the night on an RBI groundout by Cord Phelps.

The Clippers would add two more runs in the bottom of the seventh after Constanza and Brian Bixler led off the inning with bunt singles. Both men scored as Jordan Brown drove home Constanza on an RBI groundout and then LaPorta drove home Bixler on a single to left.

Kinston Tops Myrtle Beach 5-4 in 13 Innings

Chris Kersten hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th inning as Kinston beat Myrtle Beach 5-4 Saturday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Kersten's smash ended a career night for the K-Tribe first baseman, as he went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Myrtle Beach started the scoring way back in the second inning off of Kinston starter T.J. House. Ronald Rivas made an error on a Dan Nelson grounder and then Jesus Sucre blasted a two-run homer to left field, his second dinger in as many nights. That gave the Pelicans a 2-0 lead for the third night in a row.

Kinston answered right back in the bottom of the inning off of Pelicans starter Arodys Vizcaino, making his Carolina League debut after being called up from Low A Rome. Tim Palincsar started the frame with a towering drive to right field that dropped on the warning track and went for a triple. After a Lucas Montero walk, Chris Kersten served an RBI single to center to score Palincsar. Richard Martinez laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and Rivas stroked a single to center to score Montero and tie the game at 2.

In the top of the third, the Pelicans used a bit of good fortune to take the lead back. Mycal Jones doubled to center field, alertly advancing to second when the K-Tribe failed to cover the base. Travis Jones then hit a pop up behind third base that appeared it would end the inning. However, third baseman Kyle Bellows misjudged the ball and had it land behind him in fair territory for a rare infield double. Mycal Jones scored to push the Pelicans ahead 3-2.

The K-Tribe rallied in the bottom of the fourth, starting with a leadoff double by Kersten. With two out, Jordan Henry hit a high fly ball to left but Calvin Culver's sliding attempt to catch the ball was ruled a trap, allowing Kersten to score the tying run. Karexon Sanchez then ripped a double off the wall in right field, plating Henry and giving the Indians a 4-3 lead.

More wackiness allowed the Pelicans to tie the game in the sixth. Travis Jones hit a high pop up to third base yet again, and in an eerily similar play to his pop up in the third, Bellows misjudged the ball and couldn't come up with it on a sliding attemp in short left field, giving Jones another pop up double. Dan Nelson smacked a single to center to bring Jones home and tie the game at 4.

Kinston's starter House, gave up nine hits and four runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 innings of work. House struck out three and did not walk a batter. Vizcaino lasted just four innings for Myrtle Beach, giving up eight hits and four earned runs. He struck out three and walked one.

Both bullpens were brilliant, as Kinston's Travis Turek and Matt Langwell combined for 6 2/3 innings of scoreless work. Langwell (4-2) picked up the win, giving up just three hits in three innings. The Pelicans pen matched Kinston's, as Yeliar Castro and Angelo Paulino combined for seven innings of scoreless work. Luis Avilan would not be so lucky, as the Myrtle Beach reliever got himself into and then out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 12th inning. Avilan (0-1) would give up the home run to Kersten, who led off the bottom of the 13th for Kinston.

The K-Tribe banged out 13 hits on the night. Kersten was a triple shy of the cycle, Henry went 3-for-4, Bellows and Palincsar each had two hits. Kinston is now 6-2 in extra inning games this season. The game was played in front of 3,456 fans, the third largest crowd of the season at Historic Grainger Stadium. The game was played in exactly four hours, the longest home game of the season in both time and innings.

Cougars Hunt Down Captains 7-0

Kane County evened up the series with Lake County getting a hit from everyone in the line-up en route to a 7-0 win. The Captains were held to just five base hits as they were shut out for only the fifth time this season.

The Captains and Cougars were scoreless for the first four innings before Kane County got it going in the fifth. Tyreace House drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double scoring Myrio Richard. Conner Crumbliss scored the second run when Jeremie Tice committed an error with the bases loaded. Rashun Dixon singled to bring in House putting the Cougars up 3-0.

In sixth inning, Kane County loaded the bases once again and Anthony Aliotti made the Captains pay ripping a double to left clearing the bases. Max Stassi followed up with an RBI single that drove in Aliotti to cap off the four run inning making it 7-0.

Dan Straily (5-3) picked up his fifth win of the year shutting down Lake County tossing six shutout innings allowing just three hits and striking out four. Brett Brack (0-3) took the loss, going 4.1 giving up six hits and three runs, two of them earned. Brach started the game off with four straight scoreless innings. Jeremy Johnson pitched in relief and allowed four runs on four hits in 1.1 of work.

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