Game Recap 8/12: Aeros Rally to Win

Aeros Rally in Ninth, Defeat Reading 3-2

The Aeros walked off with a 3-2 victory over the Reading Phillies Thursday night, utilizing a two-run ninth inning to end another losing streak. First baseman Beau Mills finished the comeback with a run-scoring fielder's choice to help Akron avoid the three-game series sweep in front of 2,125 Thirsty Thursday fans at Canal Park. With the win, the fourth-place Aeros improved to 59-57 while the R-Phils fell to 57-59 this season.

Reading struck first against Akron starting pitcher Scott Barnes in the top of the second inning. Designated hitter Tagg Bozied began the frame with a towering home run next to the Miller Lite sign in dead center field, giving the Phillies a quick 1-0 lead.

The hosts responded in the next frame against Reading's Austin Hyatt who was making his Double-A debut. New catcher Juan Apodaca walked with one out, center fielder Jordan Henry also drew a free pass two batters later after Hyatt's fourth strikeout. Kipnis followed and tied the score with a clutch two-out RBI single to right field.

Barnes cruised through the remainder of his six innings pitched before the R-Phils rallied against reliever Connor Graham in the seventh. Cody Overbeck hit a leadoff double to right and scored after a pair of sacrifices to give the visitors the one-run advantage again.

Trailing and on the verge of yet another loss, the Aeros concluded their comeback victory in the dramatic bottom of the ninth inning. Closer Sergio Escalona walked Henry with one out and Kipnis recorded an infield single off the glove of first baseman Kevin Nelson. Chisenhall followed with an RBI seeing-eye single to right and Kipnis safely slid under the throw to the plate to end the contest on the grounder to first base by Mills.

Akron's Bryan Price (5-3) earned the victory with a perfect top of the ninth inning and Escalona (2-7) blew his sixth save of the season in taking the loss. Barnes recorded his sixth quality start in eight outings despite the no-decision, permitting just two hits in his six innings pitched. The left-hander struck out five batters against three walks and the lone run on Bozied's homer as he now has a 3.19 ERA in his past 12 games since June 9th.

Kipnis led the Aeros offense in finishing 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple, a run scored and an RBI to increase his batting average to .332 in Double-A. The home team rallied to score twice in the ninth after entering the game with a .138 (5-for-58) average with runners in scoring position in their previous eight contests.

Clippers lose in 13, fall out of first

The Clippers played their longest game of the season Thursday night, and it probably felt like it too, as they blew a 3-0 lead and lost, 4-3, in 13 innings when Syracuse's Seth Bynum hit a walk-off home run.

After 121 days atop the International League West, the Clippers fell out of first place with the loss, as they now trail Louisville by half-a-game.

Columbus got on the board in the second inning, but with the bases loaded and nobody out, all they could manage was a double-play that plated Jared Goedert. Cord Phelps was tagged out at home trying to score on a single later in the inning.

The Clippers added two runs in the fifth, the first coming on a Phelps home run. A sacrifice fly scored Matt McBride later in the frame.

But then the Chiefs began to chip away, scoring single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth to tie the game and ruin a strong outing from Carlos Carrasco, who struck out eight and allowed just one run over six innings of work.

The game winner came with one out in the bottom of the 13th from Bynum against Jensen Lewis. The Clippers had a chance in the 10th inning, with the bases loaded and just one out, but Goedert grounded into a double play.

K-Tribe Sweep Doubleheader

The K-Tribe swept a double dip, defeating Salem 3-1 and 6-5 Thursday night in Virginia. With the win the K-Tribe takes the four game series and is now just two games out of first place in the Carolina League Southern Division.

In game one, Salem starter Stolmy Pimentel kept Kinston bats at bay until the top of the fourth inning. Karexon Sanchez began the frame with a double. With two-outs in the inning and Sanchez still at second base, Kyle Bellows gave Kinston a 1-0 lead with an RBI double. Bellows came into the game hitting .362 against Salem this season. Kinston starter Austin Adams was solid earlier, giving up just two singles through his first three innings of work. Reliever Tyler Sturdevant then filled in for Adams when play resumed Sturdevant gave up no runs on two hits in 2 2/3 innings for the win. He walked two and struck out three. Bellows continued to sock Salem in the top of the sixth inning, when his second RBI double of the game drove home Karexon Sanchez and Chun Chen to give Kinston a 3-0 lead. The hit came off of Salem reliever Seth Garrison. Bellows went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the game. Diaz went 3-for-4, Donnie Webb and Sanchez each had two hits.

Salem cut into the K-Tribe lead when Ryan Dent led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a home run off of Kinston reliever Brian Grening. Grening would then settle down, retiring the next six batters he faced. Cory Burns would take it from there, pitching a perfect ninth inning for his Carolina League leading 22nd save of the season. Burns now has 34 saves between low and high a this season.

In game two, Kinston started the scoring by manufacturing a run off of Salem starter Miguel Gonzalez. Kyle Bellows started off the second frame with a double. After an Abreu sacrifice bunt, Diaz brought Bellows home with an RBI ground out. Kinston would extend the lead in the third inning. Webb began the frame with a single and then advanced to third base on two wild pitches. Webb then gave Kinston a 2-0 lead, scoring on an RBI ground out by Tice.

The Red Sox got a run back in the bottom of the third inning, when Leonel Escobar and Drew Dominguez banged back-to-back singles off of Kinston starter Marty Popham. After a Dening sacrifice bunt, Oscar Tejeda hit a sacrifice fly to score Escobar.

Kinston's luck would suddenly change in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two-outs in the frame, a seemingly harmless two hopper to the left side by Ronald Bermudez took a bad bounce off the infield lip and went into left field for a single. Drew Hedman then followed with a single. Back-to-back RBI hits from Escobar and Dominguez then game Salem a 3-2 lead. The lead would expand in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Tejeda and Middlebrooks led off hit back-to-back home runs.

Trailing 5-2, the K-Tribe came back in the top of the sixth inning off of Salem reliever Kyle Fernandes. The frame started with a Tice single. After Chen doubled, Bellows grounded out to drive home Tice. Abreu then cut the Salem lead to one with an RBI double to bring home Chen. After a Diaz single pushed Abreu to third base, Alex Castillo would bring him home with an RBI ground out, tying the score at five.

As the game went into extra innings, Castillo would again play the hero. Bellows began the top of the eighth with a single, his third hit of the game and fifth of the double header. Bellows then advanced to second on a grounder from Diaz. With two outs in the inning, Castillo delivered the game winner with a double ripped down the left field line to score Bellows. Matt Langwell then finished off Salem in the bottom of the eighth for his fourth save of the season. Travis Turek (4-3) picked up the win, delivering two innings of scoreless relief.

Captains' Cook Defeats TinCaps 4-1

Clayton Cook gave up one run in five innings action on Thursday night as the Captains defeated Fort Wayne 4-1. Cook picked up his sixth win of year, as Nick Sarianides and Jose Flores tossed four scoreless innings to preserve the lead.

Casey Frawley belted a ball to deep leftfield off the 6'9'' right hander Matt Lollis for his ninth homerun of the year; it was a solo shot to give the Captains the lead 1-0.

Lake County catcher Roberto Perez drew a walk from Lollis with one out in the fourth inning. With two outs, Jason Smit tripled to right center to score Perez making it 2-0.

Fort Wayne cut the lead in half in the fifth inning. Danny Payne picked up a four pitch walk off of Captains' starter Clayton Cook. Daniel Meeley's two-out single up the middle scored Payne and it was 2-1.

In the eighth inning the Captains manufactured a run without a hit. Perez walked for the second time with one out. Ben Carlson reached on an error by the second baseman Jeudy Valdez. Smit walked loading the bases. Argenis Martinez drove in Perez with a sacrifice fly to centerfield making it 3-1.

Lake County added another run in the ninth inning with a two out walk to Chris Kersten. Greg Folgia connected for a double down the right field line to score Kersten from first, giving the Captains the lead 4-1.

Cook (6-7) got the win giving up just one run on five hits in five innings while striking out four. Matt Lollis (2-1) suffered his first loss allowing two runs on seven hits in six inning of work, striking out six. Flores picked up his third save pitching the final two innings giving up just one hit and striking out two.

De Leon's three-run blast propels Yankees past Scrappers in extras

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers lost the final game of a three-game series to the Staten Island Yankees today 4-1 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Kelvin De Leon's bottom of the 10th inning game-winning three-run home run off of the Scrappers' Julio Ramirez proved to be the difference as the Yankees avoided the sweep. Ramirez suffered the loss for the Scrappers.

Chase Whitley pitched a scoreless top of the tenth inning to pick up the win for the Yankees.

Despite getting a no decision, Mike Rayl pitched well lasting 5.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and striking out a season-high nine Yankees.

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