Justice Bigbie’s big night powers the Flying Tigers

Toledo Mud Hens 5, Omaha Storm Chasers 4 (box)

Omaha got off to a fast start in this one, dropping three runs on Elvin Rodriguez, including a pair of home runs, in the first inning on Tuesday. He settled in from there to surprisingly go five more innings, all of them scoreless, to keep the Mud Hens in the game, and eventually they managed to pull this one out with a walkoff single from Josh Lester.

The offense had no luck at all against a solid Royals pitching prospect with a good changeup in Jackson Kowar. The right-hander spun four perfect innings with eight strikeouts before mercifully departing for the fifth. Still, it wasn’t until the seventh that the Hens broke through. When they did, they did it in a big way with a four run inning. Jack Lopez mashed a solo shot with one out, and after Jamie Westbrook and Andre Lipcius singled, Dustin Garneau blasted his fifth homer for the Hens to seize a one-run lead.

Unfortunately, Miguel Diaz took over for Miguel Del Pozo in the ninth to close it out, and struggled instead. Diaz issued a pair of walks and the Storm Chasers took advantage to push across the tying run. In the bottom of the ninth, Garneau came up with another potentially big hit, doubling with one out to get the game winning run in scoring position. John Valente took over as the pinch runner. Zack Short grounded out, and that left it up to Ryan Kreidler. The shortstop took several close pitches down to draw a walk and keep the train moving. That left it up to Josh Lester and the big man came through, lining one into the right field corner as Valente raced around from second to score the game winner.

Lipcius: 2-4, R, BB

Garneau: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2B, SO

Rodriguez: 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 3 SO

Coming Up Next: They’ll lock up again at Fifth Third Field on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. EDT.

Erie SeaWolves 9, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6 (box)

The SeaWolves built an early lead on Tuesday night, and refused to let go despite a relentless push from the Fisher Cats.

Wilmer Flores got the start, and he was a bit effectively wild in this, but still very effective. The big right-hander blanked the Fisher Cats for 4 ²⁄₃ innings despite three walks. He only allowed one hit, and struck out six. If that’s his bad night, we’re in good shape.

The offense got started in the third when Luis Carpio homered with Gage Workman aboard. In the fourth, Parker Meadows led off with a double, and then with one out, Dane Myers drew a walk. Dillon Dingler singled in Meadows and took second on a throwing error. Two batters later Workman singled in Dingler, and it was 4-0 Erie. Wenceel Perez singled in the fifth, and three wild pitches brought him all the way around to make it 5-0.

Joe Navilhon leaked three runs in the bottom of the inning, and the Fisher Cats got one more in the seventh, but the SeaWolves fought them off again with a two-run eighth inning. Quincy Nieporte mashed home run number 27 to make it 6-4, and Dylan Rosa followed with a single, and later scored on a Corey Joyce ground out to make it 7-4. Again, New Hampshire fought back with two more in the bottom half to make it 7-6, but the SeaWolves answered right back in the top of the ninth. Daniel Cabrera led off with a walk, took second on a wild pitch, and moved to third on a wild pitch. Nieporte singled to score Cabrera, and once again, Perez scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-6 and put a bow on this one. Elvis Alvarado allowed a leadoff walk but no more to earn the save.

Perez: 2-5, 2 R, SO

Nieporte: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, HR

Meadows: 1-4, R, 2B, BB

Flores: 4.2 IP, 0 R, H, 3 BB, 6 SO

Coming Up Next: It’s a 12:05 p.m. EDT start on Wednesday as RHP Chance Kirby (8-3, 2.55 ERA) takes on RHP Adam Kloffenstein (0-5, 6.67 ERA).

Beloit Flying Carp 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)

Keider Montero was pretty good in this one, but the offense couldn’t get much going as they dropped the first of the six-game set.

Things started off with some promise, as Jace Jung and Jake Holton walked with one out, and Josh Crouch singled in Jung in the top of the first. Montero allowed a solo shot to the first hitter he faced in the bottom half to tie things up at 1-1, but settled in nicely from there. Jung pulled a hot grounder down the right field line for a double to open the third, and moved up 90 feet on a Jake Holton single. Bryant Packard’s sacrifice fly scored Jung, and the ‘Caps led 2-1.

Montero started racking up the strikeouts and was cruising along until the fifth. He allowed back-to-back singles with one out, and the runners advanced on a throwing error to put them on second and third. Somewhere in this mess, third baseman Izaac Pacheco managed to cut his hand wide open and had to leave the game, because we’re not allowed to have nice things, and the baseball gods have cursed us.

When play resumed, a ground out scored a run, and then an error on Jose King, who’d replace Pacheco at third, allowed the third run of the day for the Carp when the inning should have been over already. The Whitecaps offense could only manage a single and a walk the rest of the way as Beloit held on to take Game 1.

Jung: 1-3, 2 R, 2B, BB

Holton: 1-3, BB

Montero (L, 5-7): 5.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, 6 SO

Coming Up Next: RHP Dylan Smith (6-4, 4.19 ERA) returns to the Whitecaps on Wednesday night looking to even the series.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 12, Daytona Tortugas 1 (box)

The Flying Tigers just beat the Tortugas into the sand in this one, mashing three home runs and racking up 12 hits and 12 walks on the night.

Peyton Graham and Cristian Santana drew walks to start the game, and after Roberto Campos and Danny Serretti made soft outs, Justice Bigbie doubled both runners in to open the scoring. Graham and Santana walked back-to-back again in the second inning, with Graham stealing second and advancing to third on an errant throw. That got Daytona starter Kevin Abel yanked, but Roberto Campos greeted his replacement with an RBI single, and then Serretti drew a walk to load the bases. This time Bigbie went yard, crushing a grand slam to center field, and the rout was on.

Kris Anglin, acquired from the Braves for Robbie Grossman, got his start in the Tigers’ organization, and was solid, tossing three one-hit innings with a walk and four strikeouts. By the time he departed, this one was pretty much over already. Eduardo Valencia smacked a solo shot in the fifth to make it 8-0. In the sixth, a hit batter and three more walks helped push across two more runs on a bad, bad night for young Tortugas’ pitchers. Santana would later lead off the ninth with a single and ride home on an Austin Schultz home run.

Angel Reyes allowed the lone Daytona run in the sixth as part of his four innings of work.

Bigbie: 2-5, 2 R, 6 RBI, HR, 2B, BB, 2 SO

Santana: 1-3, 3 R, 3 BB

Graham: 1-4, 2 R, 2 BB, SO, SB

Anglin: 3.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 4 SO

Coming Up Next: It’ll be RHP Jackson Jobe (2-4, 4.67 ERA) on the mound for the Flying Tigers on Tuesday night.