Toledo Mud Hens 8, Omaha Storm Chasers 1 (box)
Reese Olson got himself dialed back in for his second rehab appearance with the Mud Hens, and looks set to return to the Tigers rotation as soon as Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles at home.
Meanwhile, the Hens bats bludgeoned Omaha pitching and ran away with this one easily on Tuesday night.
Olson fired three scoreless innings, allowing just a hit and a walk while punching out five hitters. He looked very sharp.
The Hens opened the scoring in the second when Eddys Leonard and Justice Bigbie singled, and Anthony Bemboom drew a walk to load the bases. Leonard scored on a Riley Unroe grounder to make it 1-0 Hens.
They got two more in the third when Bligh Madris mashed a two-run homer. Wenceel Pérez smoked a two-run shot in the sixth, and this one was in the bag. Andrew Navigato tripled and scored in the seventh, and in the eighth, a red-hot Riley Unroe launched a two-run shot of his own.
Austin Schulfer tossed a scoreless fourth in relief of Olson and took the win, while Bryan Sammons was a bit wild but fired 3 1⁄3 scoreless innings in the winning effort, with Chase Lee closing it out.
Unroe: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K, SB
Perez: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K
Olson: 3.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 5 K
Bowie Baysox 3, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)
Austin Bergner threw a good game, but the bats were pretty quiet as the SeaWolves dropped this first of six at home in Erie against the Baysox.
Bergner allowed a run in the top of the first, but in the bottom half, Gage Workman singled in Carlos Mendoza to tie things up.
Both teams were quiet offensively until the seventh, when Bowie scored a run against Michael Bienlien. They added another run in the top of the ninth to make it 3-1.
In the bottom half, Luis Santana was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Brady Allen and Carlos Mendoza singled to load the bases. Santana was cut down trying to score on a Max Anderson grounder, but Workman came through yet again, lifting a sacrifice fly to score Allen and make it 3-2, but Chris Meyers struck out to end it.
Workman: 1-3, 2 RBI, SB
Mendoza: 1-3, R, 2 BB, K
Bergner: 5.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Lakeland Flying Tigers 2, Clearwater Threshers 1 (box)
The Flying Tigers got off on the right foot in their playoff series against Clearwater by taking Game 1 at home with a very well pitched game and just enough offense.
Pitching has been the calling card for Lakeland in the second half, helping them to handle the loss of Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle to High-A West Michigan, and Josue Briceño out for most of the summer with a knee injury. It was no different tonight.
Rayner Castillo, a hard-throwing 19-year-old who has been one of the fastest risers among Tigers pitching prospects this season, fired six innings of one-run ball on just a hit and two walks. Garrett Apker spun a pair of strong innings of relief without allowing a hit, and Micah Ashman, just getting his feet wet in his post-draft pro debut, struck out two of three in the ninth to earn his first save.
The Flying Tigers opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth when Jack Penney walked and then scored on a Jose De La Cruz double. Castillo allowed the Threshers only run in the top of the fifth, but in the bottom half, Franyerber Montilla reached on an error to leadoff the inning. He took second on a wild pitch and would eventually score from third on a Samuel Gil sacrifice fly.
Fana: 1-3, BB
De La Cruz: 1-3, RBI, 2B, K
Castillo (W, 1-0): 6.0 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 3 K