Jack O’Loughlin’s shutout performance leads Hens over the Cubs

Toledo Mud Hens 8, Iowa Cubs 2 (box)

The Mud Hens fought off a little push in the middle innings and then stormed to victory on Tuesday night.

They gave starter Jack O’Loughlin a bit of a lead in the first when Parker Meadows opened the game with a single, stole second base, and scored on a two-out Tyler Nevin single. O’Loughlin had it from there, spinning five shutout innings and allowing just one hit while striking out eight.

A rehabbing Will Vest allowed two runs in the sixth, and that put the Hens down a run, but the offense turned on the jets at that point. Grant Witherspoon tied the game at 2-2 with a solo shot in the seventh, and Johan Camargo followed with one of his own to re-open a one-run lead. Joe Rizzo doubled and scored on a Camargo single in the eighth to make it 4-2 Toledo.

A four-run top of the ninth, centered around a two-run triple from Wenceel Perez, put this one on ice.

Camargo: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, HR, SO

Meadows: 2-6, R, SB

Rizzo: 2-5, R, RBI, 2B

O’Loughlin: 5.0 IP, 0 R, H, 3 BB, 8 SO

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

Harrisburg Senators 3, Erie SeaWolves 1 (box)

Harrisburg jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in this one, and the SeaWolves’ offense couldn’t get anything going.

Brent Hurter got the start, allowing three runs, one earned, over five innings of work. He didn’t walk a batter, but he did allow eight hits to four strikeouts.

Justice Bigbie launched a solo shot, his 13th on the year, in the seventh inning to get the SeaWolves on the board. In the end they only managed two singles otherwise.

Bigbie: 1-3, R, RBI, HR

Hurter (L, 5-6): 5.0 IP, 3 R, ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 4 SO

Coming Up Next: Harrisburg starts LHP Alex Troop (3-8, 4.26 ERA) on Wednesday at 12:35 p.m. ET. The SeaWolves have yet to announce a starter.

West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Lake County Captains 1 (box)

Wilkel Hernandez gave the Whitecaps another good start and they took advantage. The right-hander tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks, striking out five.

Dillon Paulson got the offense started in the bottom of the third by leading off with a single. Dom Johnson was hit by a pitch, and Gage Workman singled in Paulson. A throwing error on the play allowed Johnson to score and Workman to advance to third. An Andre Lipcius single scored him, and the Whitecaps led 3-0.

In the sixth, Brady Allen led off with a single and Roberto Campos followed by drawing a walk. A pair of strikeouts followed, but a wild pitch advanced both runners 90 feet where a Paulson single scored them both. 5-0 Whitecaps.

Erick Pinales allowed a run in the top of the ninth but otherwise the bullpen was solid.

Paulson: 3-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B

Workman: 2-4, R, RBI, SB, SO

Hernandez (W, 3-7): 6.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 SO

Coming Up Next: RHP Troy Melton (1-1, 2.17 ERA) takes on the Captains LHP Rodney Boone (6-3, 4.66 ERA) at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 5, Clearwater Threshers 4 (box)

The Flying Tigers carried their red hot play into August, holding off a late charge from Clearwater to seize first place in the FSL West’s second half standings.

Edgardo Ibarra got the start and he was decent, allowing just one run in five innings of work. He did walk four while striking out six, but that’s what Low-A is for.

The Flying Tigers scored first on a two-out rally in the top of the second inning. Cristian Santana drew a walk and Jose De La Cruz singled. Catcher Bennett Lee, the Tigers sixth rounder in the draft last month out of Wake Forest, drew a walk as well to load the bases. Another walk to Manuel Sequera pushed across the game’s first run.

Ibarra allowed a run in the third that tied things up, but the Flying Tigers struck again in the sixth. Max Anderson led off with a walk, and Ryan Kreidler and Andrew Jenkins followed suit to load the bases. Mike Rothenberg struck out, but Santana walked again to push across a run. A De La Cruz ground out scored Kreidler and it was 3-1.

In the seventh, Anderson walked again with one out, stole second, and scored on a Jenkins single. Chris Williams Jr. allowed a run in relief in the bottom half to make it 4-2 Lakeland. In the ninth, Kreidler singled and stole second base, and then advanced on a Jenkins single before scoring on a wild pitch to make it 5-2. Cam Brown had some trouble closing it out in the bottom of the ninth, but held on after allowing a pair of runs.

Jenkins: 2-4, RBI, BB, SO

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

Ibarra (W, 1-2): 5.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 SO

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Wednesday evening.