Columbus Clippers 4, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (box)
Matt Manning threw a decent game but the offense was quiet on Wednesday. The right-hander allowed three runs in six innings of work, so it was a pretty pedestrian outing, but good enough to win most nights.
The Hens just couldn’t do anything against lefty Doug Nihkazy. They were down 3-0 in the seventh when they got into the Clippers bullpen and immediately struck with an Andrew Navigato single and then a Stephen Scott two-run homer. Still that was all they could manage as the lineup beat the ball into the ground all game long.
Spencer Torkelson and Javier Báez went a combined 0-for-7 with two strikeouts apiece. Easton Lucas allowed a run in the ninth.
Madris: 2-4, 3B, SB
Navigato: 2-4, R, 2B, K
Manning (L, 2-3): 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, BB, 5 K
Akron RubberDucks 9, Erie SeaWolves 1 (box)
A bullpen game did not go well for the SeaWolves and they managed just four hits and no walks in a losing effort on Wednesday.
Jake Higginbotham started things off and was knocked around for four runs. Angel Reyes did little better and Tim Naughton was knocked around once this one was already basically over.
Jake Holton led off the eighth with a double for the first really good scoring chance, and Gage Workman cashed him in with a single. Hao-Yu Lee had a quiet night but singled in the ninth because he refuses to go hitless.
No statlines were required for this one.
Great Lakes Loons 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 5 (box)
A rough outing for Joe Adametz put the Whitecaps behind the eight ball in this one and a comeback effort fell just short.
Adametz allowed six runs, four earned, in 4 2⁄3 innings of work.
The Loons were up 4-0 in the bottom of the third when Seth Stephenson singled, stole second, and scored on a Max Anderson single. Two more runs came across for the Loons in the fifth, but the Whitecaps got one back in the bottom half when Jim Jarvis led off with a single and later scored on a Roberto Campos sacrifice fly.
In the seventh, the ‘Caps finally made a real push. With one out, Max Anderson and Josh Crouch singled. Campos struck out, but wild pitch advanced both runners and Luke Gold pulled a double to left to score them both. A ground ball off Danny Serretti’s bat went for an error and Gold scored to make it 6-5. That was as close as they’d get.
Gold: 2-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 BB
Stephenson: 2-3, R, 2 BB, 3 SB
Adametz (L, 0-1): 4.2 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 9 H, BB, 3 K
Lakeland Flying Tigers 10, Tampa Tarpons 6 (F/7)(box)
The Flying Tigers offense rolled in this one. With Kevin McGonigle getting a day off, they still pounded out 11 hits and drew seven walks. An eight-run fourth inning decided things early, and rain washed out the scheduled Game 2, so that will now be played in Lakeland as the series shifts from Tampa for the next three days.
Duque Hebbert got the start for the Flying Tigers and he gave up a couple of early runs, but the Tarpons staff just collapsed in the fourth.
Samuel Gil was hit to start the inning. Jose De La Cruz launched his seventh home run to make it 2-1 at that point. Archer Brookman singled, but two quick outs left him at first. David Smith lined a single to center field. Max Clark singled in Brookman. Jace Jung walked to load the bases, and Brett Callahan came up with a two-run single. Gil doubled in Jung and Callahan, De La Cruz singled in Gil. And so it went throughout a monstrous two-out rally. It was 8-1 when the smoke cleared.
The Tarpons scored two in the fourth, but in the fifth they walked the bases loaded to start the inning and the Flying Tigers scored two more to make it 10-3. Garrett Apker was knocked around in relief but finished this one out.
Jose De La Cruz: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K
Jung: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, K
Clark: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
Hebbert: 4.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 2 K