Thayron Liranzo and Max Clark power the Whitecaps again

Toledo Mud Hens 6, Charlotte Knights (F/12)(box)

Like their major league brethren, the Mud Hens had to fight their way to an extra innings victory on Wednesday evening.

They jumped right out to a lead in the first when Ryan Vilade led off the game with a single and then stole second and third base. Spencer Torkelson walked, but Vilade was able to score on a Jace Jung ground out for a 1-0 lead.

Trey Sweeney led off the second with a double and stole third base. Stephen Scott walked with one out and then stole second base. An Eddys Leonard double to left scored them both and it was 3-0.

Ty Madden put together a solid six innings of work in this one, but gifted an early lead, he couldn’t quite hold it. A pair of doubles helped the Knights to a two-run third, and in the fourth Colson Montgomery led off the bottom half with a double and scored to tie the game 3-3. Madden struck out eight and walked one, going six innings with those three runs allowed.

And there things stayed for the next six innings. The Hens got a leadoff walk to Jung in the top of the ninth, and Justice Bigbie followed with a single. Sweeney struck out, but Ryan Kreidler walked to load the bases. Stephen Scott flew out to right and it wasn’t deep enough for Jung to score, and Leonard struck out. Chase Lee kept the Knights in check with a 1-2-3 bottom half to send this to extras.

The Hens couldn’t push across the runner on second in the tenth, and Lee kept the Knights off the board in the bottom half. Trey Sweeney doubled in the runner in the top of the 11th, but the Knights returned serve against Andrew Vasquez.

Finally, in the top of the 12th, a wild pitch moved Kreidler from second to third to start the inning, and a one out sacrifice fly from Leonard made it 5-4 Hens. Andrew Navigato then came up with his 16th home run on the season, and the Hens were in the driver’s seat. Vasquez got three quick outs, and the Hens had evened the series at a game apiece.

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

Navigato: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB

Madden: 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 8 K

Erie SeaWolves 4, Akron RubberDucks 3 (box)

The SeaWolves had to fight back in this one as well. The Ducks led most of the game until a late rally tied the game and set up a walkoff game winner.

Wilkel Hernandez got the start and he really struggled. A long first inning with a pair of walks set the stage for a three-run shot by Aaron Bracho. The right-hander’s pitch count got too high and he was pulled after recording just one out.

The SeaWolves bullpen did the job, however. Brandon Seelinger cleaned up the first and the second innings, and Tyler Owens, Eric Silva, and RJ Petit each threw two shutdown innings.

The offense had a least one runner on in just about every inning, but couldn’t break through until the seventh. Trei Cruz led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and Luis Santana reached on an error. Liam Hicks flew out, but Ben Malgeri walked to load the bases, and Austin Murr drew a walk to force in their first run. Akron went back to the pen, and Carlos Mendoza struck out, but a Hao-Yu Lee grounder was thrown away, scoring Santana and Malgeri to tie things up.

Tim Naughton tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to set the stage. In the bottom half, Murr led off with a walk. Mendoza struck out, but a wild pickoff throw advanced Murr. Hao-Yu Lee struck out, and Gage Workman was intentionally walked, so it was up to Chris Meyers, who lined a single into center field for the game winner.

Meyers: 2-4, RBI, 2B, K

Hicks: 1-3, BB, K

Petit: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

West Michigan Whitecaps 11, Lansing Lugnuts 2 (box)

Thayron Liranzo and Max Clark led the way in this one. Max Clark doubled to start the game, and Max Anderson singled to center field. Liranzo stepped to the dish and uncorked a loud home run to straightaway center field, his fourth with the Whitecaps and his third in two games.

The inning turned into a nightmare for Lansing. Jim Jarvis, Bennett Lee, and Seth Stephenson all singled, and Clark came up again and pulled a two-run triple to the right field wall. A wild pitch scored him, and it was 8-0 when the smoke cleared.

Joseph Montalvo was good again, spinning four innings of one run ball without a walk. Liranzo led off the second with a double off the wall in center field and Roberto Campos was hit by a pitch. Izaac Pacheco grounded into a force of Campos at second, but Liranzo scored and Luke Gold Gold doubled in Pacheco. 10-1 Whitecaps.

Clark went on to a four-hit game, falling a home run short of the cycle. Bennett Lee doubled in Jarvis in the top of the ninth to wrap up the onslaught.

Clark: 4-6, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B,

Liranzo: 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, 2 K

Bennett Lee: 2-5, R, 2 RBI

Montalvo: 4.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 6, Lakeland Flying Tigers 3 (box)

Andrew Sears was a little wild in this one, and the bats just couldn’t get anything going until late in the game.

Sears only allowed one earned run, but two more runs scored with the aid of a Franyerber Montilla throwing error and an error on center fielder Nomar Fana in the fifth. The lefty struck out six in five innings of work, walking three, but he didn’t help his cause by uncorking four wild pitches along the way.

It was 3-0 Fort Myers when the Flying Tigers finally fought back. In the seventh, John Peck and Montilla walked with two outs. Andrew Jenkins doubled them both in. In the eighth, Dom Johnson led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch. He stole third, and scored on a Ricardo Hurtado ground out to tie the game.

Patrick Pridgen was then knocked around for three runs in the bottom of the eighth as the Mussels pulled away for good.

Peck: 2-3, R, 2 BB, 2 SB

Jenkins: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K

Sears: 5.0 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K