Toledo Mud Hens 9, Columbus Clippers 8 (F/10)(box)
After closer Derek Law blew the save, allowing a two run shot to MLB veteran catcher Sandy Leon in the top of the ninth, Daz Cameron bailed them out with a walkoff single in the bottom of the tenth on Sunday. The victory avoided a three-game sweep in the weekend series.
Elvin Rodriguez got the start in this one and was clobbered for six runs, five earned, in 4 1⁄3 innings of work. However, Brendon Davis came up with a two-run double to score Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter in the third. In the fourth, the Hens rallied for four runs, with key hits from Ali Sanchez, Daz Cameron, Carpenter, and Josh Lester. And after Rodriguez allowed a run in the fifth before departing, tying the game at six apiece, the Hens came right back for two more in the bottom of the fifth. Derek Hill walked with one out and then scored on a Sanchez double. Cameron moved Sanchez to third with a single, and he scored on a Lester groundout to make it 8-6.
That’s where things remained until Law blew the save. Shea Spitzbarth took over and kept the Clippers off the board in the top of the tenth. Derek Hill started on second base, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from John Valente. Cameron lined one into center field, and the party was on as Hill jogged home from third with the game winner.
Cameron: 5-6, R, RBI, SO, CS
Carpenter: 3-5, R, RBI, 2B, CS
Sanchez: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, SO
Coming Up Next: The Hens welcome the Indianapolis Indians into Fifth Third Field on Tuesday for a six-game set.
Erie SeaWolves 5, Akron RubberDucks 2 (box)
After dropping the first two games of the series, the SeaWolves rallied in the middle innings to win on Sunday. Austin Bergner got the start and wasn’t particularly good, allowing a two-run shot in the second inning. He did strike out five, and allowed four hits total.
The SeaWolves got on the board when Andrew Navigato lifted his 11th homer of the year to center field in the top of the third. Meanwhile, the SeaWolves bullpen did a nice job locking Akron down. In the sixth, Gage Workman drew a one out walk, and Daniel Cabrera drilled a two-run shot to center to give Erie a 3-2 lead.
Absolute no-doubter for Daniel Cabrera to put Erie up 3-2. It’s his 4th home run with Erie, and his 7th overall this season. pic.twitter.com/YgwWBwy04V
— Tigers Minor League Report (@tigersMLreport) July 24, 2022
In the seventh, Wenceel Perez led off with a single, and Dane Myers followed with one of his own. A double play ball off the bat of Navigato moved Perez to third, and Michael De La Cruz was hit by a pitch. Workman then cleared the bases with a two-run triple to make it 5-2, and the SeaWolves held on with little trouble from there.
Perez: 3-4, R
Workman: 1-2, R, 2 RBI, 3B, BB
Bergner: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 SO
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves will stay home against the Reading Fightin Phils starting Tuesday at 12:35 p.m. EDT.
West Michigan Whitecaps 10, Great Lakes Loons 5 (box)
After winning on Saturday to even the three-game set to start the season’s second half, the Whitecaps walloped the Loons up in mid-Michigan on Sunday. West Michigan produced a 13 hit attack, racking up eight extra base hits and blowing the game open late with a five-run seventh inning to win comfortably.
Jose King got things started in the second inning, lifting his second home run of the year with a man on to make it 2-0. Jack O’Loughlin got the start for the Whitecaps, and he gave those runs back in the bottom half of the inning. No matter. They came right back and gave him two more runs to work with in the top of the third. Esney Chacon led off with an infield single and Ryan Kreidler, there on a rehab assignment, doubled to left to score him. Trei Cruz moved Kreidler to third with a single, and he scored on a Jake Holton ground out.
Hendry Nunez gave those runs back as well, allowing them in the fourth inning, and the Loons had knotted things up at 4-4. The Loons got another run in the sixth, and finally had their first lead of the day. It wouldn’t last long.
Chase Barbary led off the top of the seventh with a double, and after Chacon flew out, Kreidler ripped his second double of the day, scoring Barbary. Cruz tripled to score Kreidler, and after a pitching change, scored on a ground ball to shortstop from Holton. Holton was safe on the play, and Austin Murr followed with a single to move him to third. Josh Crouch stayed hot, spraying a two-run double the opposite way, and it was suddenly 9-5 Whitecaps. Barbary led off the eighth with a double as well, and later scored on a ground out to reach the final tally in this one.
Kreidler: 3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B, BB
Crouch: 2-4, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
Barbary: 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 SO
O’Loughlin: 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 SO
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps take on the Dayton Dragons at home this week. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. EDT on Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, Tampa Tarpons 5 (F/7)(box)
After getting rained out on Friday, and suspended on Saturday, the Tarpons took the first game of this now two-game set, but the Flying Tigers bounced back in the scheduled contest to win behind key hits from Roberto Campos and Izaac Pacheco.
Williander Moreno allowed a run in the bottom of the first to give Tampa an early lead, but he shut them down for two more innings, and the bullpen carried it the rest of the way. It wasn’t until the fourth inning that the offense broke through. Cristian Santana singled to lead off and moved to third on a Pacheco double. Campos grounded out to score Santana and tie the game, and Justice Bigbie followed with a single to score Pacheco. Lakeland led 2-1, and never looked back.
In the fifth, they blew this one open with RBI doubles from both Pacheco and Campos. Again, Bigbie kept the train rolling with a triple to score Campos, and this one was over.
Pacheco: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B, SO
Santana: 2-4, R, SO
Bigbie: 2-3, 2 RBI, 3B
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers will head to Bradenton for a six-game set starting Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. EDT.