Gage Workman stays red hot for the SeaWolves

Toledo Mud Hens 6, Columbus Clippers 4 (Fri)(box)

Toledo Mud Hens 3, Columbus Clippers 1 (Sat)(box)

Columbus Clippers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (Sun)(box)

The Hens won on Thursday, and then took down Columbus on Friday and Saturday to at least earn a split. The Clippers did manage to split the series on Sunday.

Brant Hurter got the start on Friday, and still hasn’t really settled in at the Triple-A level. His walk rate has been uncharacteristically high, and he walked three in this one over four innings. They got to him with a solo shot in the first, and then two more in the fifth, but the Hens offense took over in the middle innings.

Bligh Madris led off the top of the fourth with a double and took third on a wild pitch to Justice Bigbie, who drew a walk. A Ryan Vilade sacrifice fly to right scored Madris, and Dillon Dingler launched his fourth home run of the year with Bigbie aboard to make it 3-1 Hens.

Jace Jung led off the fifth with a solo shot, and after Keston Hiura walked and Madris and Bigbie flew out, Ryan Vilade mashed his third homer of the season to make it 6-1.

The Clippers got to Hurter in the bottom of the fifth, but the bullpen held on despite a shaky ninth from Devin Sweet to earn the save.

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

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

Hurter: 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Lefty Bryan Sammons gave the Hens a great start on Saturday, spinning six innings of two hit ball with out a walk and seven strikeouts. The Clippers got to him for a solo shot in the fourth that opened the scoring, but the Hens came right back in the fifth after stranding baserunners in the third and fourth.

Andrew Navigato opened the inning with a solo shot for his third round-tripper of the year. Akil Baddoo followed with a double, and after Buddy Kennedy struck out, Jace Jung walked. Keston Hiura pulled a grounder to the left side and they couldn’t make the play. Baddoo scored, and Jung took third where he then scored on a Madris ground out.

Beau Brieske pitched around a single in the seventh, collecting a strikeout and a pair of pop-ups, and then handled the eighth without much trouble. Sweet allowed a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth, but defeated his karma by retiring the next three in order for the save.

Baddoo: 1-4, 2B, BB, K

Navigato: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, K

Sammons (W, 4-1): 4.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 K

Matt Manning threw an okay game on Sunday, but wasn’t particularly sharp. The offense gave him an early lead, and Manning left with the lead, but the bullpen struggled in this one.

Manning only allowed two hits, but he walked three, and those walks hurt him in the third as he allowed a run. The Hens came back with three in the fourth. Jung and Hiura led off with walks and a Justice Bigbie double scored Jung. Madris and Vilade struck out, with Vilade getting ejected for complaining about the call. Fortunately, Anthony Bemboom doubled to score two, and it was 3-1.

Manning allowed a solo shot in the fifth that made it 3-2 Hens. Andrew Vasquez allowed a Daniel Schneemann solo shot leading off the sixth to tie the game.

The Hens got two on with one out in the seventh, but Hiura lined into a double play. Wilmer Flores was good in the seventh, but in the eighth he allowed a single and a two-run shot that put the Clippers up for good.

Bigbie: 2-3, R, RBI, 2 2B, BB, K

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

Manning: 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The Hens come home to host the St. Paul Saints for six starting Tuesday night.

Bowie Baysox 5, Erie SeaWolves 1 (Fri)(box)

Erie SeaWolves 8, Bowie Baysox 4 (Sat)(box)

Erie SeaWolves at Bowie Baysox (Sun)(cancelled)

After losing on Friday, the SeaWolves came back to make it 2-3 in the series, but they didn’t get a chance to earn the split as they were rained out on Sunday as most of the east coast got drenched.

After swapping places with Ty Madden, Austin Bergner’s first start back with the SeaWolves didn’t go much better than Madden’s in Toledo. Bergner allowed a pair of home runs and four earned runs total to put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of on Friday. Jud Fabian and Samuel Basallo each took him deep, Basallo’s being a three-run shot in the fourth.

The game started with Gage Workman leading off with a double. He’s been red hot for over a week now and it would continue on Saturday. Hao-Yu Lee singled and TJ Hopkins walked as a wild pitch scored Workman. That’s all they’d get as Chris Meyers struck out and Jake Holton grounded into an inning ending double play.

Workman singled again in the third, but that was all the hits they’d produce in this one. Despite five walks, they rarely threatened any kind of a scoring opportunity.

Workman: 2-4, 2B

Bergner (L, 0-1): 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K

On Saturday, a solid start from Troy Melton gave the SeaWolves the breathing room to build a big lead and cruise to victory. He allowed a solo shot to Anthony Servideo in the third, but was otherwise in control, racking up six strikeout to two walks in four innings of work.

Gage Workman got things started again in this one, leading off the game with his fourth home run of the season. He now holds a .931 OPS after ditching switch-hitting and getting rid of his leg kick for a quieter, quicker stroke this season. Workman bears watching because like Parker Meadows, his secondary tools are huge.

The SeaWolves got their second run when Hopkins doubled in Ben Malgeri in the third. In the fourth, Brady Allen reached on an error with one out and Stephen Scott walked. A Malgeri single scored Allen to make it 3-1. A parade of walks from Bowie pitching forced in a run in the fifth to make it 4-1. They got one more in the sixth, and then blew the game open in the eighth.

Malgeri led off with a single and Workman followed with a walk. Lee singled through the left side to load the bases. Two wild pitches allowed a pair of runs to score, and a Jake Holton single brought in Lee to make it 8-1.

Trevin Michael allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth but this was never in doubt.

Workman: 1-4, 2 R, HR, BB, 2 K

Hopkins: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, 2 K

Malgeri: 3-4, 3 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB

Melton: 4.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The 13-11 SeaWolves welcome in the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. ET.

Dayton Dragons 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 5 (Fri)(box)

Dayton Dragons 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (Sat)(box)

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

After a good start to the series, the Whitecaps had to win on Sunday just to earn a split.

Carlos Marcano’s was the starter on Friday, and the Whitecaps played a pretty sloppy game behind him. Marcano didn’t do himself any favors either, as the sinkerballer got plenty of ground balls but only struck out one hitter.

The Dragons got to him for three in the third, and another in the fourth to build a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, the first 11 Whitecaps hitters went down until Luke Gold singled in the fourth.

Finally in the fifth they got on the board when Roberto Campos mashed a deep home run to left center field. 4-1 Dayton. In the sixth, Gold was hit by a pitch and Cole Turney mashed a two-run shot to left to make it 4-3. Unfortunately that’s as close as they’d get to the lead.

Zack Hess allowed two runs, one earned in the seventh, as manager Tony Cappuccilli got tossed for arguing a tough call at first base, and Michael Bienlien allowed a run in the eighth.

Cole Turney doubled with two outs in the top of the eighth and scored on a Campos single. Campos would score on an Izaac Pacheco single, but that made it 7-5 before Bienlien allowed a run in the eighth.

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

Turney: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR, K

Pacheco: 2-4, RBI, 2B

Marcano (L, 0-3): 4.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, K

On Saturday, the Whitecaps got a good start from Garrett Burhenn, but he was outdueled by the Dragons’ Jared Lyons.

Burhenn spun five inning of one run ball with just two hits and a walk allowed against five strikeouts.

In the second inning, Luke Gold led off with a single and Turney walked. They eventually loaded the bases on a Danny Serretti walk, but the RBI hit never arrived. There really was no offense to speak of the rest of the way until the eighth. Josh Crouch singled with one out in the eighth and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Austin Murr singled him home but Max Anderson grounded out to end the inning.

Not much to say about this one.

Crouch: 2-3, R, K

Burhenn (L, 0-3): 5.0 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 5 K

On Sunday, we got more of a show of offense as both teams collected double digit hits. Jaden Hamm wasn’t real efficient in this one, but that’s mostly because he was striking everyone out. The talented young right-hander is already pushing for a promotion to Erie in his first season as a pro. Hamm punched seven tickets in this one as he blanked the Dragons over 3 ¹⁄₃ innings.

By the time Hamm departed, the Whitecaps had a 6-0 lead. They got after it from the jump as leadoff man Seth Stephenson and two-hitter Austin Murr singled to start the game. Max Anderson walked, a Cole Turney ripped a two-run double to left. Luke Gold struck out, but Izaac Pacheco doubled the opposite way to plate Anderson and Turney. A Peyton Graham grounder went for an error, and Pacheco scored on the play to make it 5-0.

In the third, Dom Johnson singled with two outs and scored on a Jose Sibrian double. In the fifth, Gold led off with his fifth long ball of the season already to make it 7-0.

The Dragons pummeled Tanner Kohlhepp and Marco Jimenez in relief in the middle innings. Dragons middle relief walked in a run for the Whitecaps in the top of the sixth. Conner Holden, Cleiverth Perez, and Michael Bienlien shut the door with a good inning of work apiece. Bienlien collected his first save of the year.

Stephenson: 3-4, R, K, 3 SB

Gold: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, 3 K

Pacheco: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 3 K

Hamm: 3.1 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps host Fort Wayne this week. A 6:35 p.m. ET start is scheduled on Tuesday night.

Clearwater Threshers 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 3 (Fri)(box)

Clearwater Threshers 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 1 (Sat)(box)

Lakeland Flying Tigers 11, Clearwater Threshers 8 (Sun)(box)

The Flying Tigers took the first two of this series at home against Clearwater, but lost three in a row before coming back to take the final game to split the series.

23-year-old right-hander Zack Lee was signed to a minor league deal last July and pitched in the Complex League a bit. He gave the Flying Tigers a really good outing on Friday, but the bullpen blew this one in the ninth inning. Lee spun 4 ²⁄₃ innings with just an unearned run allowed, striking out six while allowing four hits and no walks.

The Threshers led 1-0 when Josue Briceño pulled a one-hopper over the wall in left for an automatic double that scored David Smith. Clayton Campbell singled in Briceño to make it 2-1 Flying Tigers.

Quinn Gudaitis was a little wild in the sixth, allowing a run, but the Flying Tigers came right back. Jose De La Cruz walked to led off the bottom of the sixth. A wild pitch got him to third, and Kevin McGonigle dropped down a sac bunt to score him and make it 3-2.

Patrick Pridgen was rocked for three runs in the top of the ninth to blow the save.

Campbell: 3-5, RBI, K

Callahan: 2-5, 2K

Lee: 4.2 IP, R, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K

The offense just wasted too many chances on Saturday. They collected six hits and five walks, but didn’t push across a run until the bottom of the ninth inning.

Andrew Sears kept the Threshers off the board for four innings in his start, but Garrett Apker allowed a run in the fifth and then Cam Brown was knocked around for three runs in the seventh. Kevin McGonigle had two hits, including a double out of the leadoff spot.

Jim Jarvis and David Smith singled in the bottom of the ninth, and Alvaro Gonzalez walked to load the bases. So they had a shot at a comeback. Gil grounded into a force of Smith at third as Jarvis scored. However Max Clark grounded out to end the game.

McGonigle: 2-4, 2B, K, SB

Jarvis: 2-4, R, SB

Sears: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, K

Duque Hebbert got clobbered in this one, but so did Clearwater’s starter. The Flying Tigers offense came out swinging, and after Hebbert blew their early lead, they poured it on, scoring throughout the middle innings and fighting off a late charge from the Threshers.

In the bottom of the first, Samuel Gil led off with a single and took single on an errant pickoff throw. Max Clark walked, and Josue Briceño singled in Gil and moved Clark to third. A Campbell ground out scored Clark, and a double from Brett Callahan plated Briceño to make it 3-0.

Hebbert gave up single runs in the second and third, and then three in the fourth as the Threshers knocked him out and seized a 5-3 lead. The comeback started quickly though.

In the bottom of the fifth, Callahan launched a three-run homer with Clark and Briceño aboard to make it a 6-6 tie.

In the sixth, Cristian Santana led off with a walk and Smith followed with a double. Samuel Gil singled in Santana, and Smith scored as Clark grounded into a double play. 8-6 Lakeland.

Jose De La Cruz crunched his fourth home run, a solo shot, in the seventh inning to make it 9-6. That one left the bat at 105.9 mph.

In the eighth, Yosber Sanchez had a shaky outing, allowing two runs in a rare show of weakness from him so far.

The Flying Tigers weren’t having any comebacks, however. Smith led off with a single, and Gil and Clark walked to load the again with no outs. A Briceño single plated Smith, and Brett Callahan drew a bases loaded walk to make it 11-8.

Thomas Bruss struck out the side in the ninth to collect his first save, pumping his fastball up to 98 mph and getting plenty of whiffs on his changeup in the inning.

Briceño: 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K

Callahan: 3-4, R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR, BB, K

De La Cruz: 2-5, R, RBI, HR, K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers come away from the split series still a game back from Clearwater. They’ll head over to Daytona for six against the Tortugas starting on Tuesday night.