Jace Jung and Ben Malgeri continue the home run parade in weekend action

Columbus Clippers 7, Toledo Mud Hens 6 (Sat)(box)

Columbus Clippers 7, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (F/5)(Sun)(box)

The Hens made a nice run at a comeback victory on Saturday only to lose it to a blown save from Miguel Diaz.

Jack O’Loughlin got the start, and he was a little wild, walking three and giving up three earned runs over five innings of work. An Andre Lipcius solo shot, his sixth home run on the year, off old friend Daniel Norris briefly evened things at 1-1 in the fourth before the Clippers got two against O’Loughlin in the bottom half. Norris went four innings allowing just the Lipcius shot and a walk, with four strikeouts if you’re curious.

Trey Wingenter took over in the sixth and quickly allowed a walk and a two-run home run. Still not looking quite ripe for a return to the Tigers’ bullpen yet.

The Hens finally struck back in the top of the seventh. Colt Keith drew a walk to start the inning, and Johan Camargo launched a two-run shot to right field. Nick Maton followed with a single and Nick Solak reached on an error. A walk to Michael Papierski loaded the bases and Joe Rizzo singled to left to drive in Maton. Justyn-Henry Malloy singled in Solak, and it was tied up at 5-5 with no outs.

Unfortunately, with the bases still loaded and no one out, the Clippers brought in reliever Jhon Romero, and he struck out Parker Meadows and Andre Lipcius on six pitches. Keith grounded out, and the chance to seize control slipped away.

Maton walked with one out, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Papierski single in the eighth, and briefly the Hens had the lead. Beau Brieske had the eighth and tossed a scoreless frame, but the Hens couldn’t add on in the ninth and Diaz allowed a pair of runs on three hits as Columbus walked them off.

Akil Baddoo was the DH in this one as they try to get him some work without stressing his recovery from the quad strain. He went 0-for-2 with a walk.

Malloy: 1-4, RBI, BB, SO

Camargo: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, SO

O’Loughlin: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 SO

On Sunday, down three games to one in the series, which ends on Monday, the Hens took a bit of a beating as Alex Faedo made his first rehab start.

The right-hander has been out for almost a month with a cracked nail. He got ambushed a bit in his return, giving up four runs over 3 ¹⁄₃ innings.

Meanwhile the offense was having a rough go of it too. Parker Meadows and Justyn-Henry Malloy both walked to start the game. Nick Maton singled in Meadows, but that’s all they’d get. Johan Camargo struck out, and Malloy got caught off second base on a Colt Keith fly out and was doubled off.

Trey Wingenter gave up a three-run shot in the fifth, and the rains picked up after Maton doubled to start the sixth, eventually forcing the game to be called.

Maton: 2-3, RBI, 2B, SO

Faedo (L, 0-2): 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, BB, 2 SO

Coming Up Next: This series will wrap up on Monday at 6:05 p.m. ET. RHP Hunter Gaddis (1-5, 6.97 ERA) starts for the Clippers.

Erie SeaWolves 6, Akron RubberDucks 3 (Sat)(box)

Erie SeaWolves 2, Akron RubberDucks 1 (Sun)(box)

The SeaWolves took a 3-1 series lead with their 6-3 victory on Saturday. Brant Hurter put together a fine start and the SeaWolves jumped on Akron early. They then clinched the series with a victory on Sunday as well.

Hurter allowed a run in the first on Saturday, and one in the sixth before departing. In between he was brilliant, scattering three hits and two walks, while striking out eight on the day.

The SeaWolves seized the lead in the second. Ben Malgeri led off the bottom half with a solo shot, his seventh, and his third home run in two days. Gage Workman followed with a double and Mario Feliciano reached on a fielder’s choice as Workman reached third. Diego Rincones grounded one to third but an error on the second baseman meant Workman scored and everyone was safe. Trei Cruz dropped down a bunt single to load the bases, and a Justice Bigbie single plated another run. Wenceel Perez grounded out, but that scored Rincones, and it was 4-1 Erie.

Andrew Navigato and Jake Holton opened the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back home runs to make it 6-1, and the SeaWolves cruised from there.

Malgeri: 2-3, R, RBI, HR, 2B, BB

Bigbie: 3-4, RBI, 2B

Hurter (W, 4-3): 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 SO

On Sunday, the SeaWolves put the series away with a 2-1 victory on Sunday, taking a 4-1 lead in the series into Monday’s final game.

This was all about the pitching. Joe Lockhart survived a rocky start, spinning 4 ¹⁄₃ innings of one-run ball despite five hits and three walks allowed. R.J. Petit took over for 2 ²⁄₃ scoreless frames of relief, and one of the Tigers best relief prospects, right-hander Ty Mattison, came on to close the door with a six-out save, allowing just a walk while striking out four along the way. That was Mattison’s first save with Erie after being called up from West Michigan last week. He now has 50 strikeouts in 29 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

After Lockhart allowed a run in the fifth, Dillon Dingler tied the game with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Julio E. Rodriguez singled, and he scored on a two-out double from a still red-hot Justice Bigbie for the eventual game winner.

Bigbie: 2-3, RBI, 2B

Dingler: 1-2, R, RBI, HR, BB

Lockhart: 4.1 IP, ER, 5 H, 3 BB, SO

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves take a 4-1 lead into the series final game on Monday night at 6:05 p.m. ET. They’ll head out to Altoona to start a new series on Tuesday night.

Dayton Dragons 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 6 (Sat)(box)

West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Dayton Dragons 4 (Sun)(box)

With the series tied at two games apiece, the Dragons seized the initiative in the series on Saturday by rallying in the ninth after the Whitecaps had tied it up in the seventh.

After Dayton put up a run against Garrett Burhenn in the first, the Whitecaps struck back. Carlos Mendoza led off the bottom half with a double down the left field line, and Jace Jung was hit by a pitch. Brady Allen doubled in Mendoza, and a Luis Santana single with two outs plated Jung. 2-1 Whitecaps.

Unfortunately, Burhenn ran into trouble in the fourth, giving up four runs. Connor Holden took over and gave up a run in the sixth. Down 6-2, the comeback started in the bottom of the sixth.

Izaac Pacheco led off with a walk and Josh Crouch and Santana followed with singles to load the bases. A wild pitch brought Pacheco home, and Lazaro Benitez followed with a two-run double. That made it 6-5 Dayton, and when Jace Jung led off the seventh with a moonshot to right for his Midwest League leading 13th home run, they were all tied up. Look at this absolute hanger. Jung’s eyes were presumably big as saucers watching that thing tumble into his wheelhouse.

Unfortunately, that’s where the comeback ended. Cristhian Tortosa allowed two runs in the top of the ninth, and after Jung led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, Brady Allen bounced into a double play and Pacheco struck out to end it.

Jung: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, SO

Benitez: 3-4, 2 RBI, 2B

Crouch: 3-4, R

Burhenn: 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 SO

On Sunday, the Whitecaps were able to split the series with a 5-4 come from behind victory.

Troy Melton got the start but took some damage for the first time at the High-A level. After giving up a solo shot in the first, the Dragons got two more in a long second inning that ended Melton’s night early due to pitch count per inning concerns. Jordan Marks and Dario Gardea each took over for two innings, with Marks allowing a solo shot in the third.

The comeback got underway in the fifth. Roberto Campos doubled to left to lead off the inning and later scored on an Eliezer Alfonzo single. Dillon Paulson doubled and scored on a Luis Garcia single in the sixth to make it 4-2 Dayton. Alfonzo then homered with Brady Allen aboard in the seventh to tie the game at 4-4.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jace Jung drew a walk and Brady Allen doubled him home to make it 5-4. Cam Brown made quick work of the Dragons in the top of the ninth to earn his first save of the year for West Michigan.

Allen: 3-4, R, RBI, 2 2B, BB, SB

Alfonzo: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, BB

Melton: 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 SO

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps head to Fort Wayne to tangle with the TinCaps. The series gets underway on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 4 (Sat)(box)

Lakeland Flying Tigers 9, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 8 (F/10)(Sun)(box)

The Flying Tigers evened their series against the Mighty Mussels with a 6-4 victory on Saturday, and then took a 3-2 lead in the series with an extra innings victory on Sunday.

Starter Carlos Marcano led the way on Saturday, spinning six shutout innings with just a single and a walk allowed. The soon to be 20-year-old right-hander lost velocity as his outing progressed from the 94-95 early to 92-93 later on, but the Mussels couldn’t get anything going as Marcano punched out nine on the day.

Lakeland got on the board in the third when J.D. McLaughlin led off with a single and Alvaro Gonzalez walked. Seth Stephenson dropped down a bunt that Fort Myers’ third baseman threw away, scoring McLaughlin, and Luke Gold lifted a sac fly to left to plate Gonzalez.

They got two more in the sixth when a rehabbing Daniel Cabrera led off with a double and took third on another Fort Myers’ error. Three batters later, Mike Rothenberg cranked his fifth home run to make it 4-0.

They got two more in the top of the seventh as McLaughlin led off with a walk and later scored on a balk. Luke Gold’s sacrifice fly plated Stephenson after the latter had singled and stolen second base before taking third on the balk. 6-0 Lakeland.

Max Green gave up three runs in the bottom half, and Fort Myers scratched out another run in the eighth, but the Flying Tigers held on to win.

Rothenberg: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, SO

McLaughlin: 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB, SB

Marcano (W, 2-4): 6.0 IP, 0 ER, H, BB, 9 SO

On Sunday, the two teams traded blows back and forth, but the Flying Tigers had the lead until Fort Myers tied it up in the eighth. Alvaro Gonzalez proved the hero, as his tenth innings two-run shot was the difference in this one.

After a scoreless first, the Flying Tigers dropped five runs on Fort Myers in the top of the second inning. Carlos Pelegrin opened the inning with a triple to left, scoring on a Moises Valero single. Walks to Cristian Santana and Sergio Tapia followed. Alvaro Gonzalez singled home Valero, but Santana was cut down at the plate trying to follow him in. A bunt to third base scored two more runs as Fort Myers’ third baseman threw the ball away trying to get the speedy Seth Stephenson. Another error led to a run and it was 5-0 Lakeland.

Joe Miller’s start came to an end in the bottom of the second as he allowed three runs and was knocked out with two outs in the inning. Valero made it a 6-3 lead when he homered to start the fifth inning, but Franklin Perez took over and allowed two runs in the bottom half. Stephenson was hit by a pitch to start the sixth, and later scored on an Abel Bastidas single to make it 7-5 Lakeland. A solo homer from Fort Myers, and then another run that scored when the Mussels’ Dylan Neuse stole second base and the throw went into center field tied the game up and eventually sent it to extras.

With Santana starting the 10th on second base, Alvaro Gonzalez hit his first home run of the year to make it 9-7. Eric Mendez got the first two outs in the tenth, but allowed an RBI single before shutting the door for his first save of the year.

Gonzalez: 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, 2 SO

Stephenson: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SO

Valero: 2-5, 2 R, HR, SB

Perez: 2.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, SO

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers look to take the series on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET. They’ll welcome in the St. Lucie Mets on Tuesday for a six-game set.

Trevor Rosenthal released