Game Recaps 4/7: Goodnight for Captains

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Captains open season with impressive win

On opening day Lake County put together an all-around team performance for a big 13-3 win over Great Lakes. The offense spotted Mike Goodnight four runs and that is all he needed as the Captains never took their foot off the pedal.

Nick Bartolone kicked the season off with a lead off base hit. A Carlos Moncrief single put runners on the corners to set the table for the middle of the order. Giovanny Urshela ripped a double to left center driving in the game’s first run. Jesus Aguilar showed some pop with a two-run double to left. Lake County capped off their four run first inning as Aguilar scored on a Casio Grider error at second off the bat of Alex Lavisky.

The Captains kept the offense going in the second frame. Urshela drove in his second of three runs with an RBI single scoring Argenis Martinez who reached on a leadoff walk. With two on, and two outs, Lavisky drove in a pair with a double to left field for his first professional RBI to make it 7-0.

The Loons cashed in on a few errors committed by Lake County in the third inning to cut the lead to 7-2 as both runs were unearned.

In the fourth, Alex Monsalve collected his first hit and RBI of the season with a single, scoring Aguilar who was hit by a pitch and making the score 8-2. The Captains produced another two-out run in the seventh inning with an RBI single by Martinez scoring Anthony Gallas for a 9-3 lead.

The wheels came off the Loons bullpen in the ninth as Lake County batted around using two hits, three walks, a hit batter, and three wild pitches to put up another four run inning to seal a 13-3 victory over Great Lakes.

Captains starter Goodnight (1-0) tossed a dandy, going five innings allowing two runs (both unearned) for his first victory of the season. Goodnight allowed just one hit and walked only one and struck out three. J.D. Reichenbach worked three innings in relief allowing a run on two hits and walking and striking out a pair. Dale Dickerson worked a scoreless ninth giving up one hit and striking out two. Red Patterson (0-1) suffered the loss for the Loons, allowing seven runs on seven hits in two innings of work.

Lake County and Great Lakes will resume their four game series Friday night at Dow Diamond at 6:05PM. On the mound for the Captains is LHP Mike Rayl (0-0), matched up against Loons’ RHP Zach Lee (0-0).

Clippers win close game in opener

The Clippers started the 2011 season with a thrilling 4-3 win in Indianapolis Thursday night. Columbus saw a 4-0 lead cut to a single tally in the seventh inning, but the Columbus bullpen survived to get the victory.

Cord Phelps was the Clippers offensive engine, finishing 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs and a pair of walks. Clippers starter David Huff fired six scoreless innings and earned the win.

The game saw two intense moments late, in which the Clippers shined on both occasions. Zach Putnam was summoned from the bullpen in the seventh after Jess Todd allowed three runs. With the tying run at third base, Putnam forced Pedro Ciriaco to routinely fly to left, preserving the 4-3 advantage.

The final out was recorded by Jensen Lewis, educing a double play grounder from Ciriaco with the tying run again just 90 feet away.

The Clippers will send right-hander Jeanmar Gomez to the mound against Indianapolis' Sean Gallagher on Friday at 7:15pm.

Aeros bats silent in Opening Day loss

Despite having Grady Sizemore in the leadoff spot, the Aeros only mustered four hits losing 1-0 to the Binghamton Mets on Opening Day tonight at Canal Park.

Aeros starter Kelvin De La Cruz suffered the loss despite pitching five one-hit innings, allowing just one run, striking out seven and walking four. His wild pitch in the top of the third inning allowed tonight’s lone run to score.

Sizemore began his Major League rehab assignment and didn’t waste any time making his presence felt. Sizemore rapped a leadoff single to center in the bottom of the first inning becoming the Aeros first base runner of 2011. Sizemore played seven innings in center field for Akron going 1-3.

Joe Smith also began a Major League rehab assignment tonight with the Aeros as he pitched a scoreless top of the sixth inning.

The Mets (1-0) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning when center fielder Lorenzo Scott walked, stole second and later scored from third on a De La Cruz wild pitch.

The Aeros (0-1) threatened in the bottom of the frame off Stinson. Short stop Juan Diaz tripled with two outs but was stranded on third when Chun-Hsiu Chen flew out to center field.

Following the third, Stinson and the Mets bullpen allowed just three base runners over the next six innings to take game one of the four game series, 1-0.

The Aeros and Mets will play game two of this four game series tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. No. 9 rated Indians prospect (according to Baseball America) Joe Gardner gets the ball for the Aeros. He will face Mets left-handed pitcher Mark Cohoon.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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