Kevin McGonigle hits first homer of 2024 as Lakeland crushes Fort Myers

Toledo Mud Hens at Indianapolis Indians (postponed)

They cancelled Wednesday’s game because of a wet field, after Tuesday’s was rained out. So it will be a doubleheader matinee on Thursday with Bryan Sammons (4-2, 3.74 ERA) getting the start in Game 1. RHP Keider Montero should be on schedule to pitch Game 2. First pitch for Game 1 is set for 11:05 a.m. ET.

Harrisburg Senators 7, Erie SeaWolves 4 (box)

The Senators jumped all over Wilkel Hernandez in this one and continued to add runs to hold off a SeaWolves push. They have a 2-0 lead in the series.

Hernandez just couldn’t handle a pretty stocked Harrisburg lineup. He allowed 10 hits, six runs, and three walks over just four innings of work and was pitching through traffic the whole start.

Singles from Robert Hassell III and Dylan Crews set up a scoring chance in the first, though they’d only get one run. A walk, a single, and a hit batter loaded the bases for Crews in the bottom of the second, and he cleared them with a double to make it 4-0.

The SeaWolves fought back in the top of the third. Stephen Scott lined a single to right field to lead off the inning, and Austin Murr launched his first home run of the year to make it 4-2.

However, Hernandez gave one of those runs back in the bottom half via solo home run by Jackson Cluff, and he allowed another run in the fifth before getting pulled. Senators starter Brad Lord had no such issues, settling in after the two-run outburst and smothering the SeaWolves for three more innings.

Jake Holton hit a two-run homer in the eighth after Carlos Mendoza doubled. That shot was Holton’s second of the year, and made it 6-4 Harrisburg. Calvin Coker allowed a run in relief in the bottom of the eighth, and that was that.

Murr: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR

Scott: 2-4, R

Holton: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, K

Hernandez (L, 0-1): 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 3 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: They’ll play a doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday to make up for an April 28th rainout.

West Michigan Whitecaps 3, Peoria Chiefs 1 (F/10)(box)

Joe Miller pitched a good game for West Michigan, and the bullpen did their part as well. The offense, well it wasn’t a particularly good day until they plated two in the top of the 10th and watched Tanner Kohlhepp shut down the Chief in the bottom half to win it.

Miller tossed five innings of one hit ball, issuing just one walk against five strikeouts, and shut out the Chiefs for his part. In the third, Peyton Graham led off with a single. Dom Johnson followed with a single to left and Seth Stephenson was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Max Anderson. He grounded out, but Graham scored to make it 1-0. Unfortunately they couldn’t take advantage of the other baserunners as Luke Gold lined out and Roberto Campos struck out. That continued all game as the ‘Caps had a baserunner on in just about every inning but couldn’t come up with anything but singles all game long.

Max Alba handled the sixth and the seventh, but allowed a game tying solo shot in his second inning of work. Matt Merrill took over for the eighth and first two outs of the ninth, He got into trouble in the bottom of the ninth and Tanner Kohlhepp took over to get the final out and send this to extra innings.

With speedy Seth Stephenson starting on second in the top of the 10th, Anderson moved him to third with a ground out. Gold singled the opposite way to score him and make it 2-1. Campos was then hit by a pitch, and Gold stole third, scoring on an Izaac Pacheco single to make it 3-1.

Kohlhepp got a pop up for the first out of the bottom half, which helped him out by freezing the runner. A single followed but didn’t score the run, and Kohlhepp retired the last two on a soft fly out and a ground out to earn the victory.

Anderson: 2-5, RBI

Pacheco: 2-5, RBI, K

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

Miller: 5.0 IP, 0 R, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Thursday with the series tied at 1-1.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 16, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 1 (box)

After losing the first game of the set on Tuesday, the Flying Tigers mopped the floor with the less than Mighty Mussels in this one. They took advantage of 10 walks issues, but still racked up 16 hits in this one, including seven extra base hits.

It went very, very well right from the jump. Kevin McGonigle led off the bottom of the first with a walk, Max Clark lined a single to left field, and they both scored on a Clayton Campbell double. Brett Callahan then launched his fourth home run of the year to make it 4-0 with no outs in the inning.

Samuel Gil doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch. Jim Jarvis walked and stole second base, and they both scored on a Daneurys De La Cruz single. Finally Fort Myers went to the pen, and Archer Brookman walked. David Smith lined out for the first out of the inning, but McGonigle walked for the second time in the inning, and Clark lined a single to center field to score De La Cruz and Brookman and move McGonigle to third. 8-0 Lakeland.

Josue Briceño was again absent from the lineup without explanation, so Campbell was in the three hole, and he mercifully grounded into an inning ending double play.

RBI doubles from Gil and Brookman scored two more in the second to make it 10-0. In the fourth, Jarvis walked, stole second, and scored on a De La Cruz double. De La Cruz, Danuerys again, as Jose De La Cruz sat in this one, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Brookman ground out to make it 12-0.

Starter Jake Miller finally allowed a run in the fifth, but that was all Fort Myers would manage, and the Flying Tigers offense was right back to the feeding trough in the bottom half.

First, Kevin McGonigle launched his first home run of the season, lifting a high fly ball into the bullpen to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Clark lined out, but Campbell and Callahan both singled and then advanced 90 feet on an error on the play. A Gil ground out scored Campbell to make it 14-1.

De La Cruz doubled again in the sixth and scored on a David Smith ground out. McGonigle followed with a single and Clark and Campbell walked to load the bases. McGonigle was replaced by Alvaro Gonzalez as a pinch runner, and he scored on a wild pitch to make it 16-1, where it ended.

Callahan: 3-6, 2 R, RBI, HR, SB

De La Cruz: 3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B, BB, K

McGonigle: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, 2 BB, K

Clark: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K

Miller (W, 1-0): 5.0 IP, ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start at Publix Field on Thursday with the series even.