Toledo Mud Hens 8, Iowa Cubs 2 (box)
Logan Shore pitched a really good game and the Hens big bats brought the thump as they took it to the Cubs on Tuesday night. Shore allowed one run across six innings of work with seven punchouts. Spencer Torkelson unlocked a 1-1 tie in the third when he crushed a solo shot to right center field. Riley Greene then broke things open a bit in the fifth with a monster two-run shot to straightaway center field that travelled 424 feet. Nolan Blackwood took over from Shore in the seventh and tossed three innings of one-run ball, while Zack Short put this one to bed for good with a grand slam in the top of the ninth for emphasis.
Torkelson: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB
Greene: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, SO
Kreidler: 1-3, RBI, BB, SO
Shore (W, 6-2): 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 SO
Coming Up Next: Wednesday’s matchup is set for 1:08 p.m. EDT for some reason.
Erie SeaWolves 4, Altoona Curve 2 (box)
Altoona built an early lead against Joey Wentz, but the lefty hung in there, the bullpen shut the door, and the offense steadily chipped away to a 4-2 victory. Wentz allowed two runs in the first, and he wasn’t spotting the ball well early on. He did settle down, pitching into the fifth on 80 pitches. Henry Martinez and Yaya Chentouf took it the rest of the way, Chentouf earning the six-out save.
The SeaWolves scored in the top of the first when Kerry Carpenter hit a grounder back to the mound that Curve starter Roansy Contreras deflected, allowing Daniel Cabrera to score from second base. Carpenter’s solo shot, his 15th homer for Erie this year, tied things at two in the fourth. It was Carpenter again coming through with a one-out double in the sixth and scoring on a Drew Ward double to give the SeaWolves a one-run lead. Dane Myers singled home Ward in the top of the ninth for a little breathing room.
Carpenter: 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B
Ward: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B
Wentz: 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 3 SO
Coming Up Next: The second game of the series is set for 6:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
Great Lakes Loons 18, West Michigan Whitecaps 7 (box)
The Loons just bludgeoned Whitecaps’ pitching in this one. A six-run bottom of the ninth for the ‘Caps made it look like better than it actually was. Zac Shepherd started, and was clobbered for five runs in the second inning. Micheal Bienlien and Jared Tobey combined to allow another five-run frame in the fourth, and the Loons were off to the races. The collected 18 hits and eight walks on the night. Gage Workman finally got West Michigan on the board with a mammoth solo shot in the seventh, and Wenceel Perez came up with a three-run triple in the ninth, but this one was long over with by then.
Perez: 1-5, R, 3 RBI, 3B, SO
Murr: 1-2, R, 2 BB
Keith: 1-4, R, RBI, BB, SO
Coming Up Next: LHP Jack O’Loughlin (0-1, 4.82 ERA) gets the start for the Whitecaps on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. EDT.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 5, St. Lucie Mets 1 (box)
Carlos Guzman put together a really nice start, and the Flygers cruised to victory on Tuesday. The young right-hander spun six innings of shutout ball on four hits and a walk, with six strikeouts. Josh Crouch got the scoring started with a second inning solo shot, and then Lakeland broke it open a bit with a three-run fifth. Ben Malgeri doubled with the bases loaded in the inning, clearing the bases. Carlos Irigoyen picked up an RBI single to score Chris Meyers in the top of the ninth.
Crouch: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, 2 SO
Malgeri: 1-5, 3 RBI, 2B, 2 SO
Guzman (W, 5-9): 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, BB, 6 SO
Coming Up Next: LHP Matt Walker (3-0, 4.62 ERA) gets the start at 12:10 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.