Toledo Mud Hens 2, Omaha Storm Chasers 1 (box)
Toledo won its fifth straight game against Omaha, 2-1, despite only recording three hits on Sunday.
The Storm Chasers actually struck first on a two-out triple from Josh Rojas that scored Abraham Toro, but the Mud Hens’ pitching staff was sound after that. Bryan Sammons went 4 2/3 innings and only allowed one baserunner outside of the second. Three of his six strikeouts came in the opening frame.
Sammons left the game in line to earn the loss, but Max Clark doubled in Cal Stevenson to tie things up
in the fifth after the Hens had missed a few scoring opportunities early on.
Scott Effross was first out of the bullpen for Toledo. He got the final out of the fifth before turning things over to Sean Guenther. The lefty collected five straight outs, and the strong outing from the bullpen continued with a clean eighth from Tyler Mattison.
Toledo’s only other hits in the game were a double from Stevenson in the second, and a triple from Gage Workman in the eighth. Workman’s triple came after Max Clark drew a walk and quickly stole second base, scoring to make it 2-1. Drew Sommers issued a walk but otherwise locked down the ninth to earn his first save of the year.
Clark: 1-3, 2B (9), R, RBI, BB
Workman: 1-3, 3B (1), RBI, BB, K
Sammons: 4.2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: Toledo heads to Columbus next week, starting at 6:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Erie SeaWolves 5, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 1 (box)(Gm 1)(F/7)
Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader went to the SeaWolves, securing a series victory. They jumped out to an early lead and got strong work from the bullpen to keep the Ponies at bay.
Seth Stephenson led off the game with a walk, and was singled to third by Peyton Graham. The duo then pulled off a double steal, with Stephenson stealing home. A double from Brett Callahan and a single from John Peck made it a 3-0 game right out of the chute.
Joe Miller leaked a run in the bottom of the first, but settled in to got three innings in a very short outing. Tyler Owens and Moises Rodriguez got them through the fifth, though the latter walked a pair. Woo-Suk Go continued his outstanding start to the year with two more scoreless innings to close this one out, maintaining his perfect 0.00 ERA with three strikeouts to one walk allowed.
In the sixth, Graham led off with a single and then stole second base. A wild pitch moved him to third, and Peck followed this by drawing a walk and stealing second as well. Justice Bigbie cashed them both in with a double to make it 5-1, where it would end.
Graham: 2-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
Peck: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, SB
Miller: 3.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Binghamton Rumble Ponies 5, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)(Gm 2)(F/7)
Sean Hunley was knocked around for three early runs in this one that proved the difference in a quiet game for the SeaWolves’ lineup.
Hunley allowed two runs in the first and one in the bottom of the second. Andrew Jenkins launched a solo shot in the top of the second after Izaac Pacheco had singled but then gotten himself picked off at first. So it was 3-1 Ponies early on.
Tanner Kohlhepp gave the SeaWolves 1 2/3 scoreless innings, but Johan Simon leaked two runs in the fifth. Yosber Sanchez took over and cleaned up the mess. Graham was hit by a pitch to start the sixth inning, and Callahan followed with a walk. So there was an opportunity to come back when Bigbie doubled in Graham and moved Callahan to third, but Pacheco and Jenkins struck out.
Callahan: 1-3, BB, 2B, 2 K
Bigbie: 1-3, RBI, 2B, K
Hunley (L, 0-2): 2.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: Erie is at home against Chesapeake next week, starting at 6:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Lake County Captains 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)
Neither team scored early in this one, but the Captains did a better job chipping away at the ‘Caps bullpen to win on Sunday and take the series four games to two.
Troy Watson gave the Whitecaps three scoreless frames to start things off, but they couldn’t take advantage. Carlos Marcano took over with two more scoreless innings, but finally in the top of the sixth the Captains got to him for a run in a long inning that saw Luke Stofel take over for the final out.
The Whitecaps answered back in the bottom half as Garrett Pennington stayed hot with a two out single. Bryce Rainer walked, and Cristian Santana lined an RBI single to tie the game 1-1. That was all they’d get out of the inning.
Stofel gave up a run in the top of the seventh, and Inohan Paniagua surrendered a two-run homer in the eighth. CJ Weins allowed a run in the top of the ninth that made it 5-1.
The Whitecaps threatened in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Andrew Sojka was plunked, and Clayton Campbell singled on a hot shot off the pitcher. A wild pitch advanced both runners for Junior TIlien, who came through with a two-run single. Unfortunately, Hunter Dobbins grounded into a double play to end it.
Pennington: 2-3, R, 2B, BB
Tilien: 1-3, 2 RBI, BB
Watson: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H 2 BB, K
Marcano: 2.2 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: West Michigan is at Cedar Rapids next week, starting at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Tampa Tarpons 10, Lakeland Flying Tigers 7 (box)
The Tarpons stormed back after an early Flying Tigers’ lead, and held on to split the series on Sunday.
Outfielders Jesus Pinto and Zach MacDonald had big games for Lakeland, but it was Pinto who starred on this day. He led off the bottom of the first with a double, while MacDonald continued to destroy Florida State League pitching with an RBI double. A Jack Goodman sac fly eventually plate MacDonald for an early 2-0 lead.
In the third, MacDonald led off with a single and stole second base. Carson Rucker singled through the right side of the infield to score him and took second on an error. Rucker proceeded to steal third and score on a Jude Warwick ground out for a quick 4-0 lead.
Max Alba gave the Flying Tigers three scoreless innings to start the game, but Alistair Tanner was rocked for five runs in the fourth and fifth as the Tarpons took a 5-4 lead.
Jatnk Diaz took over with a scoreless seventh but he allowed a run in the top of the eighth to make it 6-4 Tampa.
In the bottom half of the eighth, Warwick led off with a double and eventually scored on a Sergio Tapia sac fly to cut the Tarpons lead to one.
Unfortunately, Pedro Garcia and Andrew Pogue combined to give up four runs in the top of the ninth. Now down 10-4, the Flying Tigers made a push as Pinto led off the bottom of the nitnh with a solo shot for his first homer of the season. Rucker singled with one out, and scored on a Warwick triple, but that was as close as they’d get.
Pinto: 3-5, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B, HR, K
MacDonald: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B, K, SB
Warwick: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B
Tanner (L, 1-3): 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K
Coming Up Next: Lakeland is at Bradenton next week, starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
