Game Recap 7/16: Aeros Offense Leads the Way

Aeros Smash SeaWolves Again, Win 8-1

Akron’s offense stayed hot while starter Paolo Espino led the Aeros pitching staff to a dominant 8-1 victory over the Erie SeaWolves Friday night at Canal Park. The hosts collected 10 hits with six walks highlighted by a double and a triple from left fielder Tim Fedroff in front of the 7,144 fans in downtown Akron. Despite the victory over the slumping SeaWolves (38-55), the Aeros (47-45) remain 2.5 games behind the second-place Bowie Baysox in the Eastern League’s Western Division.

The scoring began early as shortstop Carlos Rivero started the second with a stand-up triple to dead center field. After two straight groundouts, Fedroff recorded the RBI on another triple while Erie’s starter Brooks Brown threw a wild pitch to give Akron a 2-0 lead.

Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall then made it a three-run game with a run-scoring double in the third inning, plating Jason Kipnis all the way from first. The Aeros chased out Brown in the fifth as Cleveland Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and Kipnis started a rally with a pair of walks. A double steal and a throwing error scored Cabrera and after an intentional walk to Beau Mills, Rivero brought the edge to 5-0 with an RBI single to left.

Akron starter Espino cruised through his six innings pitched while his offense increased the advantage to 7-0 in the bottom half of that frame. Damaso Espino led off with a looping double to right and Fedroff again had a clutch extra-base hit with a run-scoring double before reliever Cory Hamilton permitted two more walks to Cabrera and Kipnis. With the bases loaded, a fielder’s choice off the bat of Matt McBride then plated Fedroff.

The Aeros scored their final run of the evening in the eighth as pinch-hitter Jerad Head replaced Cabrera with a one-out double to right field. Head advanced to third on a throwing error while Kipnis promptly followed with an RBI infield single to second base.

Erie scored their lone run of the game against reliever Steven Wright in the ninth as Cale Iorg doubled with one out and pinch-hitter Shawn Roof hit a clutch single to center.

Espino (9-3) earned the victory with just his second quality start of the season, blanking the Wolves through six innings on three hits. The Eastern League All-Star right-hander recorded five strikeouts on the night as he moved into a tie for second in the league with nine wins this year. Brown (7-6) struggled in taking the loss as he allowed the first five runs in 4.2 innings and Akron reliever Omar Aguilar struck out the side in the eighth.

Fedroff’s 12-game hitting streak ended Thursday night, but he responded with a 2-for-4 performance Friday along with two RBI and two runs scored. Kipnis also starred with his two singles and three walks while the recovering Cabrera played the first seven innings again tonight, going hitless in two at-bats with two free passes and a run scored.

Clippers lose slugfest, 12-9

On a night where 21 runs, 32 hits, five errors and only two men failed to record a hit, the most telling number was three, as the Columbus Clippers lost by three to the Norfolk Tides, 12-9 at Harbor Park.

The Clippers jumped out early with three runs in the first inning as Jordan Brown and Jared Goedert hit back-to-back home runs off of starter, Troy Patton. Goedert's solo home run was his team leading, sixteenth of the year. Columbus scored in four innings on the night, as all of them were multiple run innings. Josh Rodriguez led Columbus with three hits and four RBI's in the loss.

Norfolk's bats were just as hot as Columbus' were, as the Tides scored in six of their eight innings at the plate. The Tides scored three runs in the second and fifth innings and two more in the sixth and seventh innings. The Tides were led by Rhyne Hughes, as he went 4-for-5 on the night with three runs scored. Jeff Salazar and former Clipper, Michael Aubrey, each delivered for Norfolk as well, as Salazar tallied three hits and three RBI's and Aubrey had two hits and three RBI's.

Jeremy Sowers took the loss on night as he fell to 1-5 on the season. Sowers came on in the fifth inning and gave up four earned runs on four hits while walking three.

Nationals Get Kinston 8-7 in Extra Innings

A wild game featuring seven first inning runs, a bottom of the ninth inning lightening delay and a walk-off rundown gone wrong; ended with an 8-7 ten inning Potomac victory Friday night in Woodbridge, VA.

It was a disastrous start to the game for Potomac as starter Tyler Walker, making a Major League rehab appearance from Washington, gave up a hit and five walks in 2/3 innings of work. Karexon Sanchez started the game with a walk, followed by a single from Bo Greenwell. After Doug Pickens walked to load the bases, Jeremie Tice struck out. Kyle Bellows then walked with the bases loaded to score Sanchez. Juan Diaz followed with a bases loaded walk to make it 2-0. Recknagel would add run number three with another bases loaded walk.

Potomac would get the runs back in a hurry off of K-Tribe starter T.J. McFarland. After two hits and a walk loaded the bases to begin the bottom of the first inning, Potomac's clean-up man Tyler Moore hit a grand slam. The smash to center field was Moore's team leading 12th home run and his second homer of the series. Kinston would even the score at four in the top of the fifth inning as Jeremie Tice and Kyle Bellows led off the frame with singles. After a Diaz sacrifice bunt, Tice scored on an RBI ground out from Donnie Webb. Potomac would come right back in the bottom of the frame, taking a 5-4 lead on back-to-back, two-out doubles from Derek Norris and Tyler Moore.

The wild game continued as Montero led off with a single in the top of the sixth inning. Sanchez then drew a walk and Greenwell single to load the bags with no outs. After Pickens and Tice struck out, Bellows delivered with a two RBI single to score Montero and Sanchez. The clutch swing gave Kinston a 6-5 lead. Potomac would again come back, this time with a bottom of the sixth inning, solo home run from Bill Rhinehart. The homer tied the score at six and chased McFarland from the game. McFarland had his roughest outing of the season, giving up a season high six earned runs on eight hits. McFarland struck out three and walked one. The K-Tribe bullpen would take over from there, as Travis Turek, Rob Bryson and Chris Jones combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless ball.

Kinston would finally break the tie in the top of the tenth inning. Sanchez would lead off with a walk and Greenwell would bunt him to second. Pickens would then give Kinston a 7-6 lead with an RBI single. With two-outs in the inning, Pickens would try to score on a Bellows single, but would get thrown out at the plate by Potomac left fielder Robby Jacobsen. Corey Burns came in to close it out in the bottom of the tenth inning, getting the Potomac lead-off man Moore to strike out. Moresi was then hit by a pitch. Jacobsen then walked to put runners on first and second. Rhinehart then hit a hard two hopper to K-Tribe first baseman Recknagle. Recknagle threw to second base to start a potential game ending double play, but the ball bounced off of Jacobsen's helmet as he was running to second base. The ball went into centerfield and Moresi scored. The play continued as Kinston caught Rhinehart in a rundown between first and second. As the tag was made of Rhinehart after a lengthy rundown, Jacobsen broke for home and scored ahead of a Pickens tag. Burns gets saddled with his first loss of the season, not giving up a hit as both runs were unearned.

Captains Fall to Quad Cities 5-1

Quad Cities's Ryan Jackson hit a two out, three run homerun off Clayton Cook lifting the River Bandits to a 5-1 win over the Captains Friday night. Lake County was unable to sweep the Bandits, but still took two of three games.

Jackson led off the fourth inning with a base hit to center; it was the first hit of the game for Quad Cities. Ryde Rodriguez drove in Jackson with an RBI single to right giving the River Bandits 1-0 edge.

Quad Cities with two outs in the fifth inning put together a rally that opened up the game. Luis Mateo singled to center. Devin Goodwin followed him up with a single to left, setting up Jackson's second homerun of the year, putting the Bandits up 4-0.

Lake County picked up a run in the sixth inning. Ben Carlson singled to start things off. Delvi Cid hit into a fielder's choice to replace Carlson. Tim Palincsar picked up his second hit of the game putting runners on the corners. Casey Frawley hit a sharp ground ball off the chest of the third baseman Mateo to drive in Cid to make it 4-1.

Mateo doubled to begin the seventh inning. The River Bandits added an insurance run when Jackson singled to center to drive in his fourth run of the game pushing the lead back to four, at 5-1.

Deryk Hooker (5-4) picked up the win throwing 5.1 innings allowing just one run on four hits while striking out a season high nine. Cook (4-6) suffered the loss giving up four runs on five hits over five innings of work, striking out four.

Nieves' two-run shot leads Cyclones past Scrappers for sweep

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers were swept by the Brooklyn Cyclones tonight losing 2-1 at MCU Park.
Luis Nieves' two-run home run off of the Scrappers Mike Rayl in the bottom of the third inning proved to be the game winning hit as the Cyclones never looked back.

The two-run home run was the only mistake Rayl made pitching five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and picking up the loss.

Angel Cuan got the win for the Cyclones lasting 6.2 innings, giving up one run, scattering eight Scrappers hits and striking out six.

Ryan Fraser came in and shut the door for Brooklyn picking up his third save after pitching a scoreless inning of relief.

The only offense from the Scrappers came on a Kevin Rucker RBI single in the top of the second inning.

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