Louisville Bats 6, Toledo Mud Hens 5 (box)
After falling behind early in the series, the Bats rallied over the weekend, taking 2 of 3 to split the series with their 6-5 victory on Sunday.
Elvin Rodriguez wasn’t very efficient, giving up three runs on seven hits over four innings of work. Jamie Westbrook brought Toledo within one with a solo shot in the third inning, before Rodriguez allowed another run in the top of the fourth.
In the seventh, the Mud Hens again closed the deficit to a run when Westbrook doubled, and a red hot Akil Baddoo of late, singled him home with a line drive to center. Unfortunately, Angel De Jesus struggled in the eighth, allowing the Bats to score three. The Hens rallied for three of their own in the bottom half, with a two-run double from Zack Short landing the biggest blow. Short later scored on a Jacob Robson double, but that was as close as they’d get.
Baddoo homered twice over the weekend, and reached base five times in this one. Looks like he’s made a couple tweaks to his swing, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it going and force his way back to Detroit. The competition isn’t very tough.
Westbrook: 3-5, 2 R, RBI, HR, 2B
Baddoo: 3-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
Short: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, SO
Rodriguez (L, 3-2): 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 SO
Coming Up Next: The Hens are in Omaha tonight to take on the Storm Chasers for Independence Day. They’ll each get a day off tomorrow before concluding their six game set.
Erie SeaWolves 6, Akron RubberDucks 4 (F/10)(box)
These two were rained out on Friday, but the SeaWolves claimed the five game set, with a makeup game set for August 18, by downing the Ducks in 10 innings on Sunday in spectacular walkoff fashion.
Markus Solbach got the start on Sunday and struggled a bit, allowing three runs and departing in the fifth inning after allowing another run. The SeaWolves began the comeback in the bottom of the fifth. Wenceel Perez reached on an error, and after singles from Dane Myers and Andrew Navigato, Perez raced home on a passed ball to make it 3-1 Akron.
The RubberDucks scored another in the seventh, putting them up 4-1, but in the bottom of the ninth, the SeaWolves had an answer. Parker Meadows tripled to lead off and scored on a Dillon Dingler sacrifice fly. Perez followed with a walk, and after Myers flew out, Navigato reached on a passed ball strike three. Chris Rabago was hit by a pitch, and suddenly the bases were loaded with two outs and the SeaWolves needing two to tie. Gage Workman was ready with the heroics, lining a two-run single to left to tie the game.
Billy Lescher managed to stifle Akron in the top of the tenth, and with the runner on second to start the inning, Andre Lipcius smoked a two-run shot to right-center field for the walkoff game winner.
Lipcius: 1-5, R, 2 RBI, HR
Myers: 2-4, 2B, SO
Solbach: 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 SO
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves are in Harrisburg starting Monday night to take on the Senators.
West Michigan Whitecaps 13, Fort Wayne TinCaps 4 (box)
Keider Montero led the way with a good outing as the Whitecaps crushed Fort Wayne to take the series four games to two.
Montero spun five innings of two-run ball on three hits, three walks, with six strikeouts. He had a pretty easy go of it as the Whitecaps battered Fort Wayne pitching with a 14 hit attack, scoring 12 runs over the first three innings. Bryant Packard and Josh Crouch each homered, with Packard mashing a grand slam in the second inning to really kickstart the party.
Packard: 1-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, HR
Cruz: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, SO
Holton: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
Montero (W, 4-4): 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 SO
Coming Up Next: West Michigan in in Dayton this week to tangle with the Dragons. LHP Brant Hurter (0-0, 4.97 ERA) gets the start Monday night, with both teams off on Tuesday as well. Dayton hasn’t announced a starter.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 8, Clearwater Threshers 6 (box)
A much needed strong offensive series from the Flying Tigers saw them sweep Clearwater with a win on Sunday.
Carlos Pena had his worst outing of the year, giving up six runs, five of them in a disastrous five-run fifth inning that the young left-hander couldn’t escape. Overall he’s been very good, so perhaps he just faded late in his outing.
Fortunately, his teammates had already built a huge lead, particularly with a five-run inning of their own in the top of the fourth. Mike Rothenberg led off with a single, and after Austin Schultz and Alvaro Gonzalez struck out, Izaac Pacheco reached on an error that allowed Rothenberg to race all the way around to score. Manuel Sequera followed with a two-run shot, his 13th homer of the season, but they weren’t done yet. Roberto Campos and Justice Bigbie came up with back-to-back doubles, and Jose De La Cruz singled through the right side to make it 7-1 at that point.
The Flying Tigers bullpen did a nice job shutting down the Threshers after Pena departed. In the eighth, Sequera led off with a double, and eventually scored on a Bigbie ground out to reach the final score.
Campos: 3-5, R, 2B, SO
Sequera: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B
De La Cruz, J: 2-4, R, RBI, 2 SO
Pena: 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 SO
Coming Up Next: Bradenton comes to town on Monday for a six game set, also with a Tuesday off day to allow a Fourth of July game.