Toledo Mud Hens 10, Omaha Storm Chasers 3 (box)
Keider Montero put together a strong outing and Jace Jung mashed a pair of home runs as the Hens welcomed in Omaha with a bit of a beatdown.
Montero allowed a run in the third, but otherwise went five innings pitching through a fair bit of traffic despite allowing just one walk and striking out six. By that point, the Hens held a 4-1 lead.
Parker Meadows led off the bottom of the first with a line drive single and Spencer Torkelson was hit by a pitch. Jace Jung hit an absolute screamer right to the center fielder but Dillon Dingler walked to load the bases, and Storm Chasers starter Chase Champlain walked in two runs before escaping the jam.
In the second inning, Andrew Navigato and Meadows reached on soft singles, Navigato reaching third. Torkelson grounded into a double play that scored Navigato, and Jung followed with a rocket to right field at 109.6 mph for his 10th homer of the year.
The Mud Hens pulled away for good in the fourth. Justice Bigbie led off with a double and a Navigato single scored him. Meadows singled Navigato to third and then stole second base. Torkelson spanked a two-run single back up the middle and it was 7-1 Hens. Torkelson led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, and then rode home on another home run from Jung to make it 11 bombs on the year for him. 9-1 Hens.
Brenan Hanifee allowed a solo shot in the seventh but otherwise kept the Storm Chasers off the board for 2 1⁄3 wild innings with three other hits allowed against five strikeouts and no walks. Ryan Vilade singled in Parker Meadows, who led off the inning with a walk, in the eighth. Alex Lange allowed a run in the ninth.
Jung: 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, 2 BB
Meadows: 3-4, 3 R, BB, SB
Navigato: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, K, SB
Montero (W, 1-2): 5.0 IP, ER, 7 H, BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Erie SeaWolves 11, Altoona Curve 2 (box)
Austin Bergner was fairly solid yet again, and the SeaWolves’ offense pounded out 17 hits to crush Altoona on Tuesday night. Akron lost, and so the victory ties Erie with the divisional lead with 11 games left in the first half.
Bergner allowed a two-run shot in the first inning, then settled in, striking out six in four innings of work. Chris Meyers got Erie on the board with a solo shot in the top of the second inning, but it wasn’t until the fifth when the offense got rolling.
Brady Allen kicked things off with a double, and after Carlos Mendoza struck out, Hao-Yu Lee walked and Trei Cruz reached on a Seth Beer error to load the bases. A Jake Holton sac fly scored Allen and a Meyers single plated Lee to give Erie a 3-2 lead. They weren’t done either. Ben Malgeri stepped to the dish and ambushed the first pitch he saw for a three-run jack, the outfielder’s fourth homer on the year. 6-2 Erie.
Calvin Coker and Trevin Michael were excellent in relief from the fifth through the eighth innings. And in the eighth the SeaWolves put this one away for good.
Gage Workman tripled with one out and Eliezer Alfonzo singled him in. An Allen single and another walk to Mendoza loaded the bases for the best hitter on the team. Hao-Yu Lee lifted a sac fly to center field to score Alfonzo. Trei Cruz followed with an RBI single to plate Allen. It was 9-2 when Altoona finally got out of the inning.
They’d get two more in the top of the ninth. Meyers and Malgeri led off with singles, and Workman ripped a one hopper off the warning track in center field for an automatic double that scored Meyers. A Mendoza sac fly scored Malgeri before the Curve cut down Workman trying to advance to third. Tim Naughton closed it out with no issues.
Meyers: 4-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR
Workman: 3-5, R, RBI, 3B, HR, K, SB
Lee: 2-3, R, RBI, BB
Bergner: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)
The offense just couldn’t get much going in this one. Dylan Smith allowed a pair of solo shots in his four innings of work and Erick Pinales leaked two runs in the fifth in relief.
The Whitecaps loaded the bases with two outs but couldn’t score a run. In the third, Seth Stephenson dropped down a bunt single, stole second, and advanced to third on an errant throw from the Timber Rattlers’ catcher. Stephenson remains a menace in the leadoff spot for a team without many weapons offensively. Jim Jarvis was hit by a pitch and Max Anderson lifted a sac fly to score Stephenson and tie the game 1-1.
It was 4-1 after Pinales struggled in the fifth, and the only other run for the Whitecaps came in the seventh when Stephenson led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on a Danny Serretti single. Otherwise it was a pretty forgettable night for the offense.
Stephenson: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
Santana: 1-2, 2 BB
Anderson: 1-4, RBI, 3B, K
Smith (L, 0-4): 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start time as the Whitecaps look to even the series.
Lakeland Flying Tigers at Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (postponed)
Get ready for the rainy season. These two clubs were rained out on Tuesday and will try to play a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.