The Mahoning Valley Scrappers beat the Jamestown Jammers 7-5 in 10 innings Friday night at Diethrick Park to open the New York-Penn League season with a win.
Scrappers’ catcher Wyatt Toregas hit two solo home runs in the first and fourth innings to give the Scrappers an early 2-0 lead.
The Jammers battled back to take the lead in the fifth inning scoring three runs off starter Mike Rayl. Rayl went 4.2 innings allowing three earned runs.
Left fielder Kevin Rucker tied the game at with a RBI single in the top of the seventh. The Jammers answered in the eighth with a RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Dallas Poulk only to see the Scrappers tie the game in the ninth on third baseman Aury Diaz’s throwing error.
The Scrappers took the lead in the top of the tenth on an RBI triple by first baseman Juan Aponte, who later scored on a throwing error by Jamestown left fielder Ryan Fisher. The Jammers grabbed a run back in the tenth, but the Scrappers held on to a 7-5 win in extra innings.
Goedert's home run the difference in 2-1 win
On a night where scoring was at a premium, similar to last night's affair, the Columbus Clippers found a way to push across just enough runs, defeating the Pawtucket Red Sox, 2-1 on Friday night at McCoy Stadium.
The Red Sox jumped out to the early lead in the bottom of the first inning after Josh Rodriguez's throwing error failed to complete a double play and allowed Jorge Jimenez to reach second base. Angel Sanchez made the Clippers pay with his RBI double to center off of starter Josh Tomlin.
The Clippers would respond in the top half of the second as Jordan Brown and Wes Hodges each recorded singles. The only issue with Hodges' single was the fact that it struck Brown on his way to second, recording the first out of the inning. That out was a costly one as Jared Goedert followed Hodges with his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field.
Tomlin would settle down after his rough first inning, retiring 14 of the next 18 batters he faced and finished his night pitching into the seventh inning before leaving. He allowed one earned run on just three hits while walking five and striking out four. Tomlin improved his record to 6-2.
The middle of the Columbus lineup (Matt LaPorta, Brown, Hodges and Goedert) was the difference in the contest, going 7-for-15, as LaPorta, Hodges and Goedert each had multi-hit games. The Clippers moved to 33-0 when leading after eight innings and 11-7 in one run games this season, as Vinnie Pestano saved his second game of the season.
Tomorrow the Clippers and Red Sox will battle it out in game three of their four game series. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Sea Dogs Walk Off with 8-7 Win in 10th Inning
Portland’s Ray Chang was the hero Friday night, as he smacked a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the host Sea Dogs an 8-7 victory over the Akron Aeros. A crowd of 5,616 fans at Hadlock Field in Portland witnessed a back-and-forth offensive battle decided in extra innings on the two-out base hit by Chang against Akron reliever Omar Aguilar. The loss was the third in four games for the Aeros (33-34) and the Sea Dogs improved to 35-31 with the victory.
A matchup of two highly regarded starting pitching prospects turned into an early shootout as Akron pounced for two runs in the first inning against Portland’s Casey Kelly. Right fielder John Drennen began his big night by plating Jason Kipnis with an RBI single and Jerad Head similarly scored Lonnie Chisenhall to give the visitors a quick 2-0 advantage. The Sea Dogs responded viciously to take a 4-2 lead in the third against Aeros lefty Nick Hagadone thanks to a run-scoring wild pitch, two singles, two walks and a double.
Facing adversity, the Akron offense knocked Kelly out of the game in a monster top of the fourth inning. Left fielder Tim Fedroff smashed a double to left and scored two batters later on a single by Jordan Henry. Second baseman Jason Kipnis then sent a 1-0 pitch from Kelly into the right field bleachers, scoring Henry as well and making the score 5-4.
The Sea Dogs then tagged on single runs in each of the next three innings to re-take a two-run edge. Luis Exposito recorded a sacrifice fly against new pitcher Paolo Espino in the fourth and Nate Spears had an RBI single in the next frame. Anthony Rizzo then plated Expisotie in the sixth against Espino again to take the intimidating lead.
Another Tim Fedroff double then highlighted a monster eighth inning where the Aeros tied the score at 7-7. Fedroff’s double to left field and a throwing error by Chih-Hsien Chiang helped score Head, while a groundout and wild pitch plated Fedroff shortly thereafter.
Both bullpens averted major damage in the ensuing frames as the game headed off to extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth, Aguilar forced both Matt Sheely and Spears to fly out to begin the frame, but then walked Che-Hsuan Lin. With the extra opportunity, Chang delivered the game-winning base hit to right to give Portland the dramatic victory.
Aguilar (1-2) took the loss by allowing the final run in 1.2 innings of relief with two walks and two hits. Portland’s Bryce Cox (1-4) held on for the victory after blowing the lead by allowing the two runs in the eighth inning. It was a second straight rough start for the lefty Hagadone as he permitted five runs on six hits and four walks in 3.1 innings pitched.
The Aeros offense out-hit their opponents in a loss yet again Friday night, as the team finished with 13 hits. Chisenhall and Drennen each collected three singles while the home run by Kipnis was his second in as many games. Fedroff also continued his hot hitting with his two doubles and two runs scored in the unfortunate defeat.
These two interdivision rivals continue their three-game series Saturday night at Hadlock Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Hadlock Field. Akron right-hander Alex White (2-2, 1.47 ERA) will look to continue his Double-A dominance in another excellent pitching matchup against Portland’s Stephen Fife (3-1, 3.70 ERA).
Kinston Falls to Salem in Extra Innings 3-2
On the brink of elimination, Mitch Dening led the Salem Red Sox with a season-high four hits, saving his best for last. The Australian outfielder delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning, scoring Jon Hee from second base to propel Salem to a 3-2 victory over Kinston on Friday night in front of 4,682 at Lewis-Gale Field. The victory keeps the Sox mathematically alive in the first-half title chase, although the best Salem can now hope for is a tie atop the division with Winston-Salem. With two games remaining, the Red Sox are two back of the first-place Dash.
With two outs and the bases empty in the 11th, a 12th frame appeared imminent. But Hee, who finished 2-3 with two walks, kept the inning alive with a single to center. Up next, Ryan Dent also slapped a single to move Hee into scoring position. Facing Chris Jones, Dening then drilled a sinking liner to center for the game-winning hit.
The dramatic triumph made a winner out of Blake Maxwell, who tossed two scoreless out of the pen for the Red Sox. Maxwell improved to 3-1, while Jones suffered his first setback of the season, surrendering just his second earned run of the season, falling to 1-1.
A pitcher's duel throughout, Salem utilized five superb innings from Fabian Williamson to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Williamson walked four, but only allowed one hit in his five frames. Williamson's ERA dipped down to 3.72 in what will likely be his final outing before the All-Star Break.
In the third inning, Salem soared to a 2-0 lead thanks to Will Middlebrooks' two-out triple to deep center. The three-bagger scored Dening and Peter Hissey and broke the scoreless draw through the first two.
In the sixth, however, the Indians finally broke through, loading the bases with nobody out against reliever Zach Hammes. With the bags packed, Doug Pickens grounded into a 4-6 fielder's choice to drive in a run and put the tying run at third in a 2-1 game. With Chris Kersten batting, Pickens took off for second, and when Ryan Lavarnway fired to attempt to nab the runner, Kyle Bellows broke for home on a double steal. But Tejeda tossed a strike back to the plate and Bellows was tagged out on a brilliant 2-4-2 caught stealing for Salem to preserve the lead.
While Salem's defense rose to the occasion in the sixth, the Kinston offense continued to battle, and the Tribe utilized an RBI single from Alex Castillo in the eighth inning to tie it up against Cesar Cabral. It was the only run allowed by Cabral in two and a third solid frames, in which he struck out three.
The Red Sox are in a must-win spot as they enter Saturday action against the Indians, the penultimate game of the first half. Caleb Clay will make the start against Marty Popham, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05 at Lewis-Gale Field in Salem.
Captains Win, Back in First Place
Casey Frawley singled home Delvi Cid with the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Lake County Captains defeated the Lansing Lugnuts on Friday 3-2. The Captains are once again tied for first place with Great Lakes who lost to Dayton. There are only two more games left in the first half.
The Captains took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Jeremie Tice hit a solo home run, his seventh homer of the year. The run snapped a streak of 21 scoreless innings for the Captains offense. The Nuts tied it up in the top of the fifth inning when Eric Eiland grounded out but scored Ryan Schrimpf and it was 1-1. Kyle Smith led off the bottom of the fifth with his second home run of the year and the Captains lead 2-1. The game was tied at 2-2 in the top of the seventh inning when Eiland singled home Balbino Fuenmayor.
Captains starter Brett Brach did not get a decision pitching 5.2 innings allowing one run on two hits, walking three and striking out two. Jeremy Johnson (3-0) followed Brach and got the win throwing 2.1 innings allowing one run on three hits, walking one and striking out three. Jose Flores pitched a scoreless ninth inning striking out two to get his first save of the year.
Lugnuts starter Ryan Tepera took a no decision also working 5.1 innings allowing two runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out four. Brian Slover (2-2) took the loss allowing the run in the eighth inning.
The Captains and Lugnuts play game two of the three game series on Saturday at 7:00 PM with the Captains sending LHP Matt Packer (4-3, 2.05) to the mound to face RHP Ryan Shopshire (4-5, 5.35).
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