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| T.J. McFarland (Photo: Lianna Holub) |
Left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland allowed just one unearned run over seven innings of work and the Akron Aeros backed him with seven runs of their own to win game one of a four-game series against the Altoona Curve 7-1 Monday at Blair County Ballpark.
McFarland recorded his fifth win of 2011 scattering five hits and striking out five while walking two.
Left-hander Jeff Locke suffered the loss for Altoona lasting five innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and striking out seven while walking one.
Following the win, Akron is now 5-2 on Independence Day since 2005.
The Aeros (42-42) got on the board in the top of the second inning. With one out, Raul Padron walked and advanced to third on a Michel Hernandez single. Ben Copeland followed with a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Padron and giving the Aeros a 1-0 lead.
It remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth inning when Copeland singled home Hernandez to give Akron a 2-0 lead. Copeland stole second, when Karexon Sanchez was called out on strikes, and advanced to third on a Jordan Henry ground out. Juan Diaz singled home Copeland to give the Aeros a 3-0 lead.
Akron added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Nick Weglarz and Kyle Bellows rapped back-to-back singles to open the inning. Padron followed with an RBI single scoring Weglarz and giving the Aeros a 4-0 lead. With one out, Copeland doubled home Bellows and Padron to make it 6-0. With two outs, Copeland scored on a Henry single increasing the lead to 7-0.
Altoona (36-46) scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but drew no closer as the Aeros went on to the win.
The Aeros and Curve will continue their four-game series Tuesday. Akron will give the ball to left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz, who is 4-6 with a 4.62 ERA in 2011. He will face right-handed pitcher Aaron Pribanic, who is 5-6 with a 4.08 ERA this season. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
Bats trump Clippers 5-4 in 13 innings
On Independence Day, it was the Louisville Bats outlasting the Columbus Clippers 5-4 in 13 innings.
After a quiet first two innings, the offense came alive for the Columbus bats. A Luis Valbuena single, a Chad Huffman walk, and a Jerad Head walk loaded the bases with one out. Two batters later, Tim Fedroff came to the plate, looking to help get the Clippers on the board. Alonso's error allowed Fedroff to reach safely and two runs came in as Columbus jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
The Bats came right back in the bottom half of the third. Kristopher Negron singled with one out. Bats shortstop Zach Cozart knocked in Negron with an RBI triple to cut it to 2-1. Cozart then came into score on an RBI groundout by Dave Sappelt and we were back to square one with the game tied at 2-2. But the Bats were not done there offensively. After Yonder Alonso walked, Bats catcher Devin Mesoraco belted a line drive two run shot over the left center field wall to give Louisville a 4-2 lead.
Columbus needed a response and they would get in the top of the 5th. Chad Huffamn hit a one hit double, setting the stage for Jered Head who played long ball. Head's two run bomb, his 12th of the season, tied the ballgame at 4-4.
There would be no more scoring in regulation innings, which meant extras in Louisville. Luis Valbuena led off the 10th inning with a walk. Chad Huffman followed with a walk of his own. Jerad Head attempted to bunt the runners over, but it ended being a pop out that turned into a momentum shifting double play with Valbuena double off at second. Jared Goedert came to the plate with two outs. Chad Huffman took off for second and the throw from Mesoraco went into center field, allowing Huffman to advance all the way to third. Unfortunately, he was stuck at third as Goedert struck out swinging to the end the inning.
The Bats would put runners on 1st and second with two outs in the bottom of the 10th. Yonder Alonso, a batter that has been known to hit the ball hard for Louisville, hit a line drive down to third, but the ball found Jared Goedert's glove for the third out of the inning.
After a quiet top of the 11th for Columbus, the Bats would threaten again. But again, the Clippers were able to get out of the frame thanks to their infield turning a textbook 5-4-3 double play.
Fast forward to the bottom of the 13th. After a Yonder Alonso strikeout, Devin Mesoraco laced a triple down the right field line. Jeremy Hermida was intentionally walked to set up the potential double play. Todd Frazier hit a grounder to Luis Valbuena who threw home to try to cut down Mesoraco, but the throw was not in time as Louisville walked off with a 5-4 extra inning 4th of July victory.
The Clippers will continue their three game series in Louisville Tuesday night. Scott Barnes (7-2) will oppose Louisville right-hander Chad Reineke (6-5). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm.
Kinston Beats Frederick 3-2
In front of 5,169 fans, Kinston held on for a 3-2 win over Frederick Monday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. The attendance total was the second largest to see a K-Tribe home game in more than ten years. With the win, Kinston (8-4, 46-35) owns the best second half record in the Carolina League.
Jacob Julius started the scoring for Frederick when he hit a home run off of K-Tribe starter Marty Popham, his former college teammate, in the top of the third inning. Kinston would come back quickly in the bottom of the frame when Abner Abreu led off with a triple. Roberto Perez would then tie the score with a run scoring single. Delvi Cid followed with a single and both runners advanced with a wild pitch. Tyler Holt then drove Perez home with a sacrifice fly to center field, giving Kinston a 2-1 lead. Holt and Abreu would each have two hits for Kinston.
Kinston’s pitching would take over from there as Popham (2-0) would pick up the win, giving up just one run on four hits. Popham went six innings, allowing three walks while striking out three. Kyle Landis made the lead stick with his first hold of the season, giving up two hits in 1 2/3 innings of work. He struck out one and lowered his ERA to 0.93.
Casey Frawley add the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning with a lead-off home run. Frawley took the first pitch from Frederick reliever Jason Gurka over both sets of billboards in left field. The no-doubt shot was Frawley’s ninth of the season. It would turn out to be the winning run as Frederick scored a run on three consecutive, two-out hits in the top of the ninth inning. Preston Guilmet got the four-out save, giving up a run on three hits. It was the 20th save in 21 tries for Guilmet this season. Frederick starting pitcher Ryohei Tanaka (5-2) was stuck with the loss.
The K-Tribe stays at home for a scheduled off day on Tuesday, then continues the homestand with a three game series against Atlanta’s Advanced A Affiliate Lynchburg. Game one of the series is Wednesday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Game time 6:30 as Cleveland’s 2010 first round draft pick Drew Pomeranz takes the mound for Kinston.
Captains Celebrate the 4th with a 7-4 Win
Aaron Fields drove in three runs on the Fourth of July at Cooley Law School Stadium leading Lake County to a 7-4 win over Lansing. Fields delivered a two run single to give the Captains an early lead in the second inning and never looked back.
Argenis Martinez drove in Ronny Rodriguez with a single to leftfield in the second to push Lake County’s lead out to 3-0. With the bases loaded Alex Monsalve drew a walk for a 4-0 lead.
The Lugnuts cut the lead down to 4-3, when Monsalve lead the fifth inning with his fifth homerun of the season putting the Captains in front 5-3.
Leading 5-4 in the seventhing inning, Monsalve reached on another walk to start it off. After a stolen base and a throwing error on the catcher Monsalve was on third. Jesus Aguilar drove in his 54th RBI of the season with a single to center, as he extended his on-base streak to 28 games on Monday night. Fields added an RBI single to center putting Captains on top 7-4.
Kirk Wetmore (1-0) picked up the win tossing five innings allowing three runs, one earned on four hits, walking two and striking out two. Danny Barnes (4-1) suffered his first loss, going 1.2 innings allowing four runs on four hits, walking two and striking out two. Jordan Cooper picked a four inning save, his second of the season, allowing a run on three hits, walking two and striking out three.
Lake County and Lansing will finish up their three game series on Tuesday night at 7:05PM. LHP Mike Rayl (5-2) gets the start for the Captains against LHP Egan Smith (2-3) for the Lugnuts.
Scrappers lose late inning lead and game
Mahoning Valley held a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning on Monday only to allow three runs and lose the game 3-2.
Lefty Daniel Jimenez got the start for the Scrappers and went four shutout innings allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six. Righty Cody Allen pitched three shutout innings of relief only to get into trouble with one out in the eighth where he walked a batter. Righty Enosil Tejada came in and allowed an inherited run to score and two of his own to blow the save and get the loss.
Two of the Scrappers top offensive players did not play as outfielder Bryson Myles was off and catcher Jake Lowery is still away from the team. Second baseman Todd Hankins and first baseman Jerrud Sabourin each had two hits for an offense that totaled just six hits in the game.
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