Justice Bigbie and Dillon Dingler power Erie; Max Clark and Mike Rothenberg hit walk off homers in Lakeland

Columbus Clippers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (box)

Jack O’Loughlin gave the Hens another quality outing, but the offense didn’t get going in this one until it was too late.

The young left-hander tossed five innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts. He was staked to a small lead in the bottom of the second when Tyler Nevin hit his ninth home run to lead off the inning. O’Loughlin allowed a leadoff homer in the top of the third, and then another run in the fourth as the Clippers started to take control.

The Hens had two on with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, and got a pair of singles from Joe Rizzo and Nevin with one out in the sixth, but they couldn’t break through. Instead, reliever Sam Clay was knocked around by Columbus in the seventh as they took a 5-1 lead.

The bottom of the seventh started with a newly returned Andre Lipcius leading off with a single. Amir Garrett took over for starter Hunter Gaddis and walked Isan Diaz. Donny Sands struck out, but Parker Meadows walked as well, loading the bases for Justyn-Henry Malloy. Malloy pulled a ground ball to third that went for an error, and Lipcius scored. A Rizzo sac fly brought in Diaz, but Nevin struck out to snuff the rally. The Hens got leadoff singles in the eighth and ninth, but couldn’t get them home.

Nevin: 3-4, R, RBI, HR, K

Rizzo: 1-2, RBI

Lipcius: 2-4, R, K

O’Loughlin (L, 1-4): 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K

Coming Up Next: Spencer Turnbull makes his third rehab start for the Mud Hens on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET. The visitors will oppose with veteran Jarek Eickhoff (1-2, 6.67 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves 7, Altoona Curve 3 (box)

Lefty Lael Lockhart threw a great game and the offense broke out in the middle innings to down Altoona on Tuesday.

Lockhart gave the offense plenty of space to work, shutting out the Curve for six innings with just three hits and a walk allowed. Lockhart struck out nine along the way, and by the middle of his outing, the SeaWolves lineup had gotten to work.

Bigbie singled in the first but it went nowhere. In the third, Ben Malgeri doubled with one out and it was Bigbie with another line drive single to center, making it 1-0. In the fifth, Bigbie singled with two outs and Jace Jung ripped an RBI double, then advanced to third on an error. Dillon Dingler singled him home, and it was 3-0.

The SeaWolves pretty much put this away in the seventh. Bigbie reached on a bloop hit with one out and Jung singled him to second. Dillon Dingler stepped to the dish and swatted home run number nine to make it 6-0. A batter later Jake Holton lined a solo shot to left center to make it 7-0.

Blake Holub spun a good seventh, but surrendered three runs in the eighth as the Curve tried to make a game of it. Yaya Chentouf handled the ninth with no issues.

Bigbie: 4-5, 2 R, RBI

Dingler: 2-5, R, 4 RBI, HR

Jung: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B, K

Lockhart (W, 3-1): 6.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, BB, 9 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves haven’t announced a starter for Wednesday’s 12:05 p.m. ET game. The Curve will sent RHP Sean Sullivan (3-4, 4.26 ERA).

West Michigan Whitecaps 6, Great Lakes Loons 4 (box)

Dylan Smith returned to the mound, and the offense had a good night as they silenced the Loons on Tuesday. The Whitecaps extended their winning streak to eight games in the process.

The young right-hander, whom we ranked 18th in the Tigers’ system last winter, has been on the shelf since the end of April. He returned with 2 ²⁄₃ innings of one-hit ball, with a walk and a strikeout recorded. By the time he turned the game over to Erick Pinales and the rest of the ‘Caps bullpen, they had a three-run lead to work with.

Gage Workman started off the second inning with a walk and Brady Allen singled. Andrew Jenkins struck out, as did Izaac Pacheco, but a double steal moved Workman and Allen both into scoring position. They needn’t have bothered, as Josh Crouch launched just his second home run of the year to make it 3-0 ‘Caps.

The Loons got a run in the bottom of the sixth, but in the seventh, Eliezer Alfonzo singled and later scored on another knock for Allen. The Loons scored two more in the bottom of the seventh off of Elvis Alvarado to pull within one, but in the eighth, Izaac Pacheco led off with a walk and then scored on a Dom Johnson double. Johnson stole third and scored on a wild pitch to re-open a 6-3 lead. Dario Gardea allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth but was able to close it out.

Allen: 2-5, R, RBI, K, SB

Crouch: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2B

Smith: 2.2 IP, 0 R, H, BB, K

Coming Up Next: RHP Wilkel Hernandez (3-7, 3.92 ERA) gets the start at 7:05 p.m. ET from Midland. The Loons have yet to announce a starter.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 9, Dunedin Blue Jays 7 (box)

A rehab appearance for Garrett Hill didn’t go all that well, but the offense had enough power to overcome some shaky pitching performances.

Hill allowed two runs in the second inning, pitching two innings total with three strikeouts. Down 2-0, the Flying Tigers started to reel in the Blue Jays in the bottom of the third. Seth Stephenson singled with one out and Max Anderson doubled him home. Cristian Santana led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot, his ninth homer for Lakeland, to tie the game at two apiece.

Edgardo Ibarra took over from Hill in the third, and he locked up the Blue Jays offense for 3 ²⁄₃ innings, striking out five as the Flying Tigers took over in the fifth. Anderson doubled again and scored on a Mike Rothenberg home run that make it 4-2 Lakeland.

However, after Ibarra left, the Blue Jays scored three in the sixth, and two more in the eighth to re-capture the lead. Down 7-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the high Flying Tigers’ offense of late came up with it’s most timely rally of the season.

Bennett Lee was hit by a pitch with one out, but Carlos Pelegrin struck out and the game hung by a thread. Stephenson came up big, ripping a triple to the wall in center field to plate Lee and make it 7-5. Suddenly the tying run was at the plate in Jim Jarvis. Jarvis walked, and Anderson came through again singling on a somewhat botched play back to the pitcher as Stephenson roared home to make it 7-6.

Then Rothenberg did this. The Flying Tigers haven’t lost a home game since June 25, folks.

Anderson: 4-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B

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

Stephenson: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, 3B

Ibarra: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start in Lakeland on Wednesday, as the Flying Tigers look to extend their home winning streak to 14 games.

FCL Tigers 5, FCL Blue Jays 2 (box)

Third overall 2023 pick Max Clark had a good day on the back fields on Tuesday. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and this walk off three-run shot below. That was his first professional home run. May there be many hundreds more to come.