Game Recaps 8/26: Wright, Aeros get needed win

Steven Wright (Photo: Lianna Holub)

Five-run first leads Aeros to win

The Akron Aeros scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning and added two in the fourth to win game two of a four-game series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-5 Friday at Canal Park.

Left-handed pitcher David Quinowski gave up all five runs in the first inning and suffered the loss for Richmond retiring just two batters before his departure.

Right-handed pitcher Steve Wright recorded the win for Akron pitching 6.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on eight hits, walking five and striking out six. Right-hander Cory Burns got the last five outs to earn his league-best 33rd save of 2011.

Ben Copeland opened the first with a walk and advanced to second on a Juan Diaz single. Chun Chen singled him home to give the Aeros a 1-0 lead. Michel Hernandez followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0. Following a walk, Chen scored on a Kyle Bellows sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 3-0. Cristo Arnal capped the inning with a two-RBI single to give Akron a 5-0 lead.

The Flying Squirrels (70-62) answered in the top of the second inning. With two on and one out, Sharlon Schoop rapped an RBI single to right field to cut the Akron lead to 5-1. Richmond scored again when Johny Monell crossed home plate on a ground out to make it 5-2.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Aeros (67-65) added two runs on a Copeland RBI double and a Diaz RBI single to increase the lead to 7-2.

Richmond scored twice in the top of the sixth inning and once in the seventh, but drew no closer as Akron went on to the win.

The Aeros and Flying Squirrels will play game three of this four-game series on Saturday. Akron will give the ball to left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland, who is 9-8 with a 3.98 ERA in 2011. He will face fellow southpaw Ryan Verdugo, who is 8-5 with a 4.17 ERA this season. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

Indianapolis edges Columbus

The sold-out crowd at Huntington Park was treated to a pitcher's duel and an exciting finish, but the Clippers lost 2-1 to Indianapolis.

Jose Ascanio (2-2) started for the Indians and went five innings, allowing no runs and four hits. Daniel Moskos and Justin Wilson pitched four innings of combined relief.

Wilson allowed one run in the eighth and nearly gave up the game-tying run in the ninth. After Tim Fedroff's one out single up the middle, Luke Carlin rounded third but was thrown out at the plate by Gorkys Hernandez.

The Clippers got a solid outing from Corey Kluber, who went seven innings, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out seven. He gave up both runs on a Dusty Brown two-RBI single in the fifth.

Offensively, they couldn't pick up Kluber (7-10), however, as they stranded 11 runners.

After splitting a pair in Indianapolis, the Clippers look for the split against the Indians at home before they move on to a two-game set against the Louisville Bats.

Jeanmar Gomez (10-7, 2.55) will toe the rubber for the home team while Brian Burres (5-9, 4.66) goes for the Tribe.

Hurricane cancels K-Tribe game

Friday's series opener between the Hillcats and the Indians was cancelled. As of Friday evening, no date has been set for a make up contest.

Captains swept out of West Michigan 4-1

Nick Castellanos’s RBI double put West Michigan in front 2-1 in third inning on Friday night and never looked back as the White Caps swept Lake County with a 4-2 win.

The Captains took the lead in first inning on a bases loaded walk to LeVon Washington that scored Brian Heere.

West Michigan came back to tie the game in second inning, with a Jason Krizan RBI single to right field scoring Clay Jones.

In the third inning, Jones drove in Castellanos with RBI single to right, giving the WhiteCaps a 3-1 lead.

Down 4-1 in the ninth, Carlos Moncrief hit his 15th homerun of the season, a solo shot to right making it 4-2.

Josue Carreno (6-10) picked up the win working five innings allowing a run on six hits, walking three and striking out five. JD Reichenbach (7-2) took the loss allowing four runs, three earned over five innings, walking two and striking out four. The save went Ryan Woolley his second of the season working four innings of relief allowing just one run on one hit.

Lake County wraps up the road trip in South Bend with a four game series beginning on Saturday night at 6:30PM at The Cove. LHP Kirk Wetmore (3-3) gets the start for the Captains against RHP Mike Bolsinger (5-6) for the Silver Hawks.

Scrappers bats stymied early in loss

The Scrappers scored three runs on seven hits over the final five innings but could not rally from an early deficit and fell to the Jamestown Jammers, 6-3.

Jamestown scored three in the first, one in the fourth and two in the fifth to take an early 6-0 lead. That was enough for starter Josh Hodges, who pitched 7.2 innings and allowed two runs. He picked up his league-leading eighth win of the season.

Hodges retired the first 12 Scrappers to come to the plate before Jordan Smith walked to lead off the fifth inning. Cody Elliott and Jerrud Sabourin singled in runs later in the inning to make it 6-2. The Scrappers added a run in the ninth on Alex Lavisky’s two-out single. Sabourin finished the night 2-for-3. Bryson Myles singled to lead off the sixth inning but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. The single extended his hitting streak to a season-high 10 games.

Nate Striz, starting in place of Cody Anderson, pitched 3.2 innings and allowed four runs. He picked up the loss to fall to 3-5.

The Scrappers and Jammers continue their three-game series on Saturday night at 7:05 pm.

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). Use discount code 2Z6F362B to receive 40% off the book through the site store!

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