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| Paolo Espino (Photo: IPI) |
Paolo Espino received the help of three home runs and the Clippers snapped their four-game losing streak, beating the Bisons, 5-0. Second place Indianapolis lost on Tuesday night 7-6, and with their loss combined with the Clippers win the Columbus Clippers clinched the International League's West Division.
Jared Goedert and Jerad Head provided solo shots in the first and fourth while Cord Phelps homered with a man on in the seventh to help the Clippers avoid the sweep. A Paul Phillips RBI single in the eighth stretched the lead to five.
Paolo Espino dominated in another spot start as he went seven innings, giving up two hits and striking out seven. Nick Hagadone and Josh Judy pitched a scoreless inning of relief a piece.
Tuesday also proved to be a solid game defensively for Clippers. Chad Huffman saved a run in the fourth inning as he crashed into the wall in right-center field to make the catch on a fly ball out.
After losing three of four at Huntington Park, Columbus will play International League west rival Indianapolis for a two-game set starting Wednesday at 7:05. Mitch Talbot (1-2, 5.68) will toe the rubber for the Clippers against the Indians' Nelson Figueroa.
Adams, Aeros down Baysox
Right-handed pitcher Austin Adams tossed seven scoreless innings to lead the Akron Aeros to a 4-2 win in game two of a three-game series against the Bowie Baysox Tuesday at Prince George’s Stadium.
Adams recorded the win for Akron scattering five hits and striking out seven while walking three. Right-hander Cory Burns got the last three outs to earn his league-high 32nd save of the season.
Righty Bobby Bundy suffered the loss for Bowie pitching four innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits, walking five and striking out three.
The Aeros (66-63) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Juan Diaz scored on a Joe Mahoney fielding error.
It remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth inning. Diaz led off with a double, John Drennen walked and Chun Chen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Diaz scored on a Ben Copeland single to increase the Akron lead to 2-0. Following a pitching change, Kyle Bellows walked to force home Drennen and make it 3-0. Chen scored on a double play to cap the inning and give the Aeros a 4-0 cushion.
The Baysox (70-58) scored two runs off right-hander Tyler Sturdevant in the top of the eighth inning, but drew no closer as Akron went on to the win.
The Aeros and Baysox will play the rubber match of this three-game set on Wednesday. Akron will give the ball to left-handed pitcher Matt Packer, who is 7-11 with a 4.18 ERA in 2011. He will face right-handed pitcher Zach Clark, who is 8-8 with a 4.96 ERA this season. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
Popham shakes Keys in 3-1 K-Tribe win
Kinston’s Marty Popham carried the Indians to a 3-1 victory Tuesday night at Harry Grove stadium in Frederick, MD.
Popham dazzled with the lone blemish on his line coming in the sixth inning. Already Buoyed with three second inning runs, Popham left a pitch up to leadoff man Steve Bumbry who launched a solo home run to right, which put the Keys on the scoreboard. The homer was the second and final hit the Keys mustered on Popham, who won his second straight start to go to 6-2. Popham struck out eight and walked two.
Kyle Landis entered in the eighth and picked up his third save in as many opportunities, striking out five and allowing just one hit to lock down the series evening victory.
Kinston’s offense all came early. Casey Frawley led off the second with a single and was quickly pushed to second with Anthony Gallas drawing a walk. Justin Toole dropped a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners in to scoring position for Roberto Perez. Kinston’s clutch hitting backstop delivered, roping a double down the left field line to score the first two runs of the contest. Delvi Cid then singled and Perez came home to score one batter later when Keys third baseman Michael Rooney failed to field a grounder from Tyler Holt.
The two teams have combined for six runs on 20 hits through the first two games of the series.
Kinston and Frederick resume the four game set with game three scheduled for a 7:00 pm first pitch Wednesday night.
Sloppy Play Sinks Captains 8-3
Wes Cunningham’s two run single to right field in first inning made it 4-0 and was just enough for Fort Wayne as they defeated Lake County 8-3. Lake County committed three errors, two in the first and never recovered.
In the fourth inning, the TinCaps increased the lead to 5-0 with an RBI single to right by Cory Spagenberg.
Rymer Liriano scored from third on a double steal by Fort Wayne to make it 6-0 in the top of the sixth inning.
The Captains got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With two on, Luigi Rodriguez tripled into the right field corner to make it 6-2. Giovanny Urshela drove in his 43rd RBI of the season with a ground out to second cutting the lead in half at 6-3.
Fort Wayne came right back in the seventh, Luis Domoromo crushed a two run homerun to right giving the TinCaps a five run lead at 8-3.
Zach Cates (4-8) picked up the win working 5.1 innings allowing two runs on two hits, walking two and striking out five. Jordan Cooper (2-7) suffered the loss allowing six runs, four earned on nine hits, walking one and striking out four.
Lake County heads out of town to Grand Rapids for the final road trip of the season with a three game set with West Michigan beginning Wednesday night at 7:00Pm. The Captains will start RHP Mike Goodnight (5-12) against RHP Kevin Eichhorn (9-5) for the WhiteCaps.
Scrappers rally late in win over Doubledays
The Scrappers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a one-run deficit and defeat the Auburn Doubledays, 7-6.
Jake Lowery walked with the bases loaded in the inning to tie the game at 5-5 before the next batter, Jordan Smith, blooped a double down the left field line to score Bryson Myles and Tony Wolters. Smith finished the game 1-for-4 with four runs batted in.
Mahoning Valley built an early 4-0 lead, scoring two runs in the first and two in the third. Wolters singled in Myles in the first to make it 1-0 and Smith scored Wolters on a ground out for the second run. In the third, Smith drove in another run with a ground out and Todd Hankins singled in the fourth run of the game.
Auburn scored the next five off starter Rob Nixon, who pitched 4.2 innings. Caleb Ramsey’s two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning tied the game and two batters later, Matt Skole doubled in the go-ahead run.
Ramon Cespedes came out of the bullpen to face Billy Burns with two in scoring position and two outs in the inning, but Burns’ fly ball to deep center field was caught on the run by Cody Elliott to end the inning. Cespedes picked up the win to improve to 1-1.In the sixth, all three Scrappers runs were charged to reliever Christian Garcia. He took the loss to fall to 2-1.
Drew Rucinski pitched two scoreless innings in relief before Enosil Tejeda pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out two batters and earning his 10th save of the season.
The win moved the Scrappers to 3.0 games behind Auburn in the division and 1.5 games behind the Williamsport Crosscutters in the Wild Card race. Williamsport was swept in a doubleheader in Batavia. The Scrappers and Doubledays continue their three-game series on Wednesday night at 7:05 pm.
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