Toledo Mud Hens 16, Indianapolis Indians 6 (Sun)(box)
The Hens had one more beatdown to hand out this weekend, and they did so on Sunday. The offense cranked out 16 hits to crush Indianapolis and take the series 5-1.
Things popped off in the second inning. Keston Hiura led off with a single, Justice Bigbie doubled him home, and then Dillon Dingler followed with a single. For the second straight day, Akil Baddoo tripled to right field to score them both, and he scored on a Ryan Vilade double. It was already 4-0 Hens, and they were just getting started.
Andrew Navigato struck out, but Vilade stole second and scored on a Buddy Kennedy single as the lineup turned over. Justyn-Henry Malloy flew out, but Jace Jung doubled in Kennedy, and Hiura crushed a two-run shot to right-center field. That finally knocked starter Michael Plassmeyer out of the game, but Connor Sadzeck wouldn’t have much more luck. 8-0 Hens.
Austin Bergner got the start for Toledo, and he allowed three runs in the third, giving way to Wilmer Flores in relief to end the inning. The offense got them right back.
Buddy Kennedy doubled in Dingler and Vilade in the bottom of the third, and then scored on a Justyn-Henry Malloy single. 11-3 Hens.
Flores allowed a run in the fourth, but in the sixth the Hens erupted again.
Malloy walked on a challenged call with one out, and Jung crushed his third homer of the year to right center field. 103.8 mph off the bat on that one. Dingler singled in Bigbie later in the inning, and Baddoo then mashed a two-run homer to right field.
Bryce Tassin, Beau Brieske, and Andrew Vasquez each took an inning to close this out, with only Brieske throwing a scoreless inning.
Hiura: 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
Baddoo: 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3B, HR, K
Jung: 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, 2 K
Dingler: 3-4, 3 R, RBI, K
Toledo Mud Hens 3, Indianapolis Indians 2 (Gm1)(F/7)(box)
One mistake cost starter Brent Hurter, but he otherwise pitched pretty well in Saturday’s Game 1. The offense managed to fight back and the pitching staff and defense did the rest.
With one out in the top of the first, Nick Gonzales singled. A 1-2 fastball got away from Hurter and Llover Peguero beat the belt-high, middle of the zone heater into the right field seats. Hurter gave up another single and a walk, but struck out Carter Bins to stop the bleeding.
The Hens came right back. Jace Jung doubled to deep center field with two outs in the bottom half of the inning. Keston Hiura smacked a double the opposite way, and the lead was trimmed to 2-1.
Akil Baddoo gave them the lead in the second, when he tripled off the right center field wall with Dillon Dingler and Corey Joyce aboard. 3-2 Hens.
Hurter wrapped up his outing with 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K.
Drew Anderson took over, and he allowed a pair of singles but struck out four over the final three innings to lock this one down.
Baddoo: 1-3, 2 RBI, 3B
Hiura: 1-3, RBI, 2B, 2 K
Hurter: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K
Toledo Mud Hens 13, Indianapolis Indians 4 (Gm2)(F/7)(box)
Game 2, the makeup for Thursday’s rainout, was all Toledo Mud Hens. Bryan Sammons went five innings with two runs allowed to earn the win, but he had plenty of help.
The Hens came out and racked up seven runs in the bottom of the first. Buddy Kennedy led off with a double and Justyn-Henry Malloy crushed his second homer of the season to left center field. 2-0 Hens.
Justice Bigbie followed with a double, and after Hiura grounded out, Bligh Madris walked and Ryan Vilade singled in Bigbie. Madris and Vilade then pulled off the double steal and Andrew Navigato walked to load the bases. Indy’s starter Cam Alldred just couldn’t get dialed in and he walked Anthony Bemboom to force in a run. A Corey Joyce grounder forced Bemboom at second but scored another run to make it 5-0. Joyce stole second, and Kennedy came back up to bat again and pulled a single through the infield to plate two more runs, though he was thrown out trying to reach second on the play. 7-0 Hens.
Sammons allowed two runs in the second inning, but the Hens kept it going in the third. Madris led off with a double against new pitcher Kade McClure, and two batters later Navigato launched a two-run homer. Bemboom followed with a solo shot to right field, and it was 10-2.
Sammons departed after five and by then the lead was 11-2. Trey Wingenter and Mason Englert closed out the final two innings, each allowing a run. The offense wasn’t done though. In the sixth, Hiura led off with a double and Madris walked. A Vilade single loaded the bases, and Hiura scored on a Navigato grounder that forced Vilade at second. Madris scored on a Bemboom grounder before Indy could get out of the inning.
Kennedy: 4-5, R, 2 RBI, 2 2B
Madris: 2-2, 3 R, RBI, 2 2B, 2 BB
Bemboom: 2-3, R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB
Sammons (W, 1-1): 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: The Hens travel to Rochester for six starting Tuesday night.
Erie SeaWolves 5, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 3 (Sun)(box)
The SeaWolves built an early lead and held on the rest of the way to take the series 3-2 with one game permanently cancelled on Friday.
After starter Wilkel Hernandez spun a clean inning in the top of the first, TJ Hopkins and Stephen Scott homered back-to-back to put the SeaWolves up 2-0. Hernandez got into some trouble in the second inning, but got a double play ball to escape.
Binghamton went to their bullpen in the third, and new pitcher Andre Scrubb lived up to the name, issuing three straight walks. A Brady Allen grounder was converted into a double play, but they did get one more run out of the deal. 3-0 SeaWolves.
Binghamton put up a few runs in the middle innings against Tim Naughton and Jake Higginbotham, who took over from Hernandez. The tie didn’t last long as a Jake Holton double and a Brady Allen triple produced a run in the bottom of the fifth. Allen led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot. 5-3 SeaWolves,
RJ Petit and Calvin Coker each spun a pair of scoreless innings to take this one to the house.
Allen: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 3B, HR
Hopkins: 1-2, 2 R, RBI, HR, 2 BB
Scott: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, K
Binghamton Rumble Ponies 9, Erie SeaWolves 2 (Sat)(Gm1)(F/7)(box)
Jackson Jobe got the start in Game 1 on Saturday, and while his control wavered late in his short outing, the stuff continued to look great. Jobe struck out four of the first six batters he faced, but then got wild in the third and allowed a pair of runs with a flurry of walks. Two more walks in the fourth ended his outing at 3 1⁄3 innings and two earned runs allowed.
Those runs tied the game, as in the bottom of the second, Stephen Scott launched a solo shot. Brady Allen followed with a double and scored on an Eliezer Alfonzo single that made it 2-0.
The SeaWolves offense just couldn’t get much going after Jobe left the game. Lael Lockhart was knocked around for three runs, one in the sixth, and two more in the seventh as the Rumble Ponies broke out for six runs to bury any hopes of a comeback.
Allen: 2-3, R, 2B, 3B, K, SB
Scott: 1-2, R, RBI, HR, K, SB
Jobe: 3.1 IP, 2 ER, H, 4 BB, 5 K
Erie SeaWolves 7, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 6 (Sat)(Gm2)(F/7)(box)
Ty Madden followed Jobe in Game 2, and his start didn’t go much better. The offense had enough to rally for a comeback victory however.
A Hao-Yu Lee throwing error led to an unearned run off of Madden in the top of the first, but the SeaWolves came right back. Lee walked with one out, and Jake Holton lined a two-run shot over the right center field wall to make it 2-1 SeaWolves. Gage Workman reached on an error in the bottom of the second, and then took third base. A Daniel Cabrera sacrifice fly to right field allowed Workman to score. 3-1 SeaWolves.
Unfortunately, a walk, a hit batter, and a pair of singles led to three runs off of Madden in the third, and the Ponies led 4-3. Reliever Angel Reyes allowed two runs in the fifth to make the score 6-3. Finally in the sixth, the SeaWolves took control.
Chris Meyers doubled with one out, and Jake Holton walked. With two outs, Binghamton went to the bullpen for a new reliever, Junior Santos. He was greeted rudely by Gage Workman, who crushed a three-run shot to center field to tie the game.
In the eighth inning, extra innings in this one, Andrew Magno took over and quickly got a fly out to center field. Brady Allen made the play and then fired to Lee at third to cut down the runner on second trying to advance. Magno punched out Brandon Mcllwain to end the inning, and the offense came through with the walkoff.
A Holton groundout moved Meyers from second to third, and a wild pitch with two outs allowed him to race home with the game winner.
Workman: 1-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR
Holton: 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K
Madden: 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves will take that 3-2 series win and head out on the road to Akron to take on the Rubberducks starting Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Quad Cities River Bandits 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (Sun)(box)
Things didn’t go well for the Whitecaps this weekend as their first homestand wrapped up. Some defensive issues and a quite offense sank them on Sunday.
Colin Fields got the start coming off an eight strikeout performance against the Bandits on Tuesday. You wondered how they’d fare seeing him twice in the series, but he blanked them and only threw two innings. Lefty Carlos Pena took over in the third and the first batter reached on a Peyton Graham throwing error. A sacrifice bunt back to Pena was then thrown away as well. A triple and a sacrifice fly later, and the score was 3-0 Bandits.
The Whitecaps had a few chances along the way. Graham led off the bottom of the third with a walk and then stole second base. Josh Crouch struck out and Seth Stephenson lined into a double play to end the inning. Another chance in the fourth ended when Roberto Campos grounded into a double play as well.
A Pena error on a pickoff throw in the fifth led to another unearned run. 4-0 Bandits. Graham had another throwing error, Max Anderson had an error. It got sloppy.
Finally in the eighth, Crouch doubled with one out and Stephenson was hit by a pitch. Carlos Mendoza came up with a single to load the bases, and Anderson came through with a ground ball back through the box to score two. 4-2 Bandits. That was as close to the lead as they’d get.
Anderson: 1-3, RBI, BB, K
Crouch: 1-2, R, 2B, K
Quad Cities River Bandits 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (Gm1)(Sat)(F/8)(box)
The story in Game 1 on Saturday was Whitecaps’ starter Jaden Hamm. The Tigers fifth rounder last year was very impressive in his first start, and he was electric again in this one. A mid-90’s fourseamer that has shown 20 inches of induced vertical break (IVB) is the big weapon here, but Hamm has a pair of good breaking balls and a decent changeup developing. He’s also thrown plenty of strikes so far and has a pretty sound delivery with good extension.
Hamm allowed one run in four innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts. He was dinged for a one out triple in the top of the first, but kept the run off the board and struck out four of the next five hitters he faced. A double and a single in the third produced a Bandits’ run, but that was all Hamm would allow.
In the fourth, Stephenson led off with a double and eventually scored on a two out Izaac Pacheco double, tying the game.
Zack Hess took over from Hamm in the fifth and sixth and allowed just a walk, but the Whitecaps couldn’t take advantage. Tanner Kohlhepp spun a scoreless seventh, but allowed a run in extras and the ‘Caps couldn’t match it.
Stephenson: 2-4, R, 2B, SB
Campos: 2-4, 2B, K
Hamm: 4.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K
Quad Cities River Bandits 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 0 (Gm2)(Sat)(F/7)(box)
Starter Dylan Smith was very wild in this one, walking five in just 2 2⁄3 innings of work. He and hard-throwing reliever Marco Jimenez each allowed one run. The Whitecaps offense couldn’t get anything going. Three singles and two walks was all they managed.
Reliever Trevin Michael punched out four in two no-hit innings of work, but again the offense just couldn’t take advantage. Max Anderson does look like a real bright spot in the early going though.
Anderson: 1-2, BB
Smith (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps take a 3-6 record up to Midland on Tuesday night for six with the Great Lakes Loons.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 7, Bradenton Marauders 5 (Sun)(box)
Starter Cole Stupp had a bit of a rough outing, but the offense stayed hot to sweep the Marauders out of Publix Field.
Josue Briceño has looked outstanding in the early going, and he put the Flygers on the board with a 108.7 mph screamer to right field that cleared the wall in the first inning. He also cut down a runner trying to steal for second straight day.
Stupp leaked runs in the third and fourth, mainly by issuing far too many walks, but the Flying Tigers came right back in the bottom half of the fourth.
Max Clark got them started with a leadoff walk, and Briceño singled into center field. First baseman Clayton Campbell then unleashed his third homer of the young season, and it was a 107.4 mph no-doubter to left field. 4-2 Lakeland.
They weren’t done either. Brett Callahan drew a walk, sending the Marauders back to their bullpen. Jose De La Cruz greeted the new pitcher with a single, and a Cristian Santana sacrifice fly scored Callahan. Jim Jarvis followed with a single, and two batters later John Peck doubled in De La Cruz to make it 6-2.
Bradenton got two runs back in the fifth, but in the sixth, Cristian Santana, who has been hitting the ball hard in the early going, was rewarded with a solo shot to down the line in left field to make it 7-5. The bullpen allowed one more run, but Yosber Sanchez shut the door, punching out three in a four out save performance.
Briceño: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, K
Campbell: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, 3 K
Santana: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
Stupp: 4.0 IP, 2 R, ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 K
Lakeland Flying Tigers 4, Bradenton Marauders 3 (Sat)(box)
On Saturday, 2023 10th rounder Andrew Sears got the start. He struggled with his control, allowing two runs, one earned, in 2 1⁄3 innings of work. He allowed three walks, but did punch out four in his outing. The Marauders got two runs in the third, one of them courtesy of a John Peck error at shortstop.
In the bottom half of the third, Eduardo Valencia and David Smith led off with singles. Gil struck out, but Clark singled to left field to score the bases. Clayton Campbell lifted a sacrifice fly to score Valencia, but Brett Callahan struck out to end the threat.
In the fourth, Jose De La Cruz led off with a single and then stole second base. Peck walked, and after Jim Jarvis struck out, Valencia singled in De La Cruz to tie the game at 2-2.
Reliever Zack Lee allowed the Marauders to re-take the lead with a run in the fifth, but in the sixth, Lakeland seized control for good.
Valencia walked with one out, but Smith struck out. Gil then drew a walk too and a wild pitch moved both runners up a base. Max Clark lined a two-run double to right field to make it 4-3, and that proved to be the game winner. Donye Evans handled the final two innings to collect the save.
Here’s a look at Clark’s day.
Clark: 2-5, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K, 2 SB
Valencia: 2-2, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Sears: 2.1 IP, 2 R, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers take a 7-2 record on the road to Palm Beach to take on the Cardinals starting Tuesday night at 5:00 p.m. ET.
And lest I forget, Max Clark also debuted a pair of red and blue cleats this weekend. The red design consists of “he’s a bust” themed quotes, while the blue feature positive quotes about this game and his future. I love it actually. Let’s hope the blue side wins out.