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| Joe Gardner (Photo: Lianna Holub) |
Right-hander Joe Gardner tossed eight scoreless innings to help the Akron Aeros win game two of a three-game series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3-0 Wednesday at Canal Park.
Gardner got the win for the Aeros scattering six hits, walking one and striking out three. Righty Cory Burns shut the door in the top of the ninth inning to earn his 17th save of 2011.
Right-handed pitcher Henderson Alvarez was the Fisher Cats tough luck loser pitching seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, walking two and striking out none.
The Aeros (32-34) broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning. Karexon Sanchez singled to open the frame. With one out, Sanchez scored all the way from first on an Oliver Dominguez throwing error to make it 1-0.
Matt McBride hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Aeros a 2-0 lead.
Akron added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning and went on to the win.
The Aeros and Fisher Cats (38-26) will play the rubber match of this three-game series Thursday. Akron has yet to announce a starter for Thursday’s game. The Fisher Cats will give the ball to right-hander Chad Jenkins, who is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA on the season. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
Kinston wins, Now just 1 1/2 games out of first
Marty Popham was fantastic on the mound and Adam Abraham was great at the plate, as Kinston beat Salem 6-1 Wednesday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. With the win Kinston (35-30) moved to just 1 ½ behind Myrtle Beach with four games remaining in the first half of the season.
Kinston jumped all over Salem starter Drake Britton. Tyler Holt started off with a single and stole second base. The hit advanced his consecutive on-base streak to 16 (he had a 25 game streak earlier this season). His 16 stolen bases lead the team. Justin Toole drove Holt home with a double down the right field line. Anthony Gallas followed with a run scoring single to plate Toole and give Kinston a 2-0 lead. Britton was pulled after two innings, having only given up those three hits. Britton (1-7) took the loss. Salem reliever Will Latimer retired the first three batters he faced before being greeted rudely in the fourth inning. Adam Abraham led off the bottom of the frame with a mammoth home run to right field. It was Abraham's team leading ninth home run and his second in the last two games.
Popham put up another great start for Kinston. The big right hander had a perfect game going with one out in the fifth inning. The perfect game was shattered by a Dan Butler home run. Butler was the only base runner Popham would allow. Popham (1-0) picked up the win, striking out six and not walking a batter. Popham has not walked a batter in 31 1/3 innings of work in the Carolina League this season.
After Kinston put up two more runs thanks to four walks and a Salem error in the sixth inning, Abraham was at it again in the seventh inning. Abraham hit an even longer home run that crashed off the warehouse in left field. His 10th smash of the season gave Kinston a 6-1 lead. Abraham is the first K-Triber to have a multi-homer game this season. He went 2-for-4 on the night. Tyler Sturdevant finished the game for Kinston from the bullpen, giving up just one hit in two innings. Sturdevant struck out three.
The K-Tribe hits the road to Lynchburg for the final four games of the first half. Drew Pomeranz will get the start for Kinston, Thursday night in Virginia. Game time 7:05 pm. Myrtle Beach will host Frederick for the final four games of the first half.
Loons Outlast Captains 9-8
Great Lakes and Lake County combined for six homeruns on Wednesday night at Classic Park but the Loons were able to fend off the Captains for a 9-8 win. It was the seventh straight loss this season for Lake County.
The Loons took a 2-0 lead, in the second inning. Jon Garcia singled in Bobby Coyle for the game’s first run. With the bases loaded the Loons’ Leon Landry ground a ball to the mound the throw by Jordan Cooper was dropped by Jesus Aguilar resulting in the second run.
Casio Grider hit a solo homerun in the top of the third inning to give the Great Lakes a 3-0 lead.
Loon Jon Garcia led the fourth inning off with a homerun, his tenth of the season and fifth against Captains pitching for a 4-0 edge.
In the bottom of the fourth, with Alex Monsalve on at first, Aguilar crushed a two-run homerun to left cutting the lead in half at 4-2. It was Aguilar’s tenth of the season.
In the fifth inning, Great Lakes got a run right back as Blake Dean doubled to get aboard and came around and scored on two wild pitches making it 5-2.
Lake County’s Ronny Rodriguez hit leadoff homerun to start the fifth inning. Alex Lavisky doubled to centerfield to continue the frame. LeVon Washington smoked a two-run shot to right field tying the game up at 5-5.
In the sixth inning, the Loons took advantage of Captains reliever Luis Encarnacion. Four walks, three wild pitches and an RBI single by Bobby Coyle supplied two runs for Great Lakes and a 7-5 lead.
The Loons went up 9-5 in the seventh inning, Leon Landry singled up the middle driving in a pair of runs.
Jordan Casas started the bottom of the seventh inning with his first hit as a Captain. Alex Lavisky hit a towering shot to left that cleared the wall for a two-run homerun his eighth of the season closing the gap at 9-7.
Lake County’s rally fell short in the ninth. Alex Lavisky picked up his career high third of the night. Washington singled to right driving in a run, his third RBI of the night to make 9-8.
Loons’ Zach Lee (5-1) tossed five innings, allowing five run on seven hits, no walks and three strike outs for the win. Luis Encarnacion (1-2) took the loss for the Captains allowing two runs on just one hit, walking four and striking out two in just an inning of work.
Lake County and Great Lakes wrap up their three game set on Thursday night at Classic Park at 7:00PM. The Captains will start LHP Mike Rayl (4-1) against another southpaw in LHP Ryan Christenson (5-5) for the Loons.
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