RubberDucks 4 Curve 1WP: Dominic DeMasi (1-0) LP: Jake Brentz (0-1) Save: none SummaryAkron's Bobby Bradley lifted a critical sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and ultimately lead the RubberDucks to a 4-1 victory over the Altoona Curve Monday night at Canal Park
RubberDucks 4 Curve 1
WP: Dominic DeMasi (1-0) LP: Jake Brentz (0-1) Save: none
Summary
Akron's Bobby Bradley lifted a critical sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and ultimately lead the RubberDucks to a 4-1 victory over the Altoona Curve Monday night at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio.
Turning Point
The RubberDucks (5-5) and Curve were tied, 1-1, entering the last of the eighth, but Curve reliever Jake Brentz (0-1) encountered control issues and walked the bases loaded with no one out. Bradley, mired in a 2-33 slump to begin the season, then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead. Brentz later issued another walk with the bases full to make it 3-1. Tyler Krieger capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly of his own off new reliever Jesus Liranzo to make it 4-1 in Akron's favor.
Mound Presence
Dominic DeMasi (1-0) picked up the win in relief by hurling 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out a pair of hitters. Lefty David Speer provided perfect middle relief, retiring all five batters he faced. Shao-Ching Chiang started for the RubberDucks and allowed just one run in the six innings. He allowed only a sacrifice fly by Ke'Bryan Hayes in the fourth to give Altoona a 1-0 lead. Chiang's ERA after two starts is 0.82.
Duck Tales
After falling behind 1-0, Akron tied the game in the sixth inning off Altoona ace Mitch Keller. Willi Castro walked, stole second and scored on a wind-blown triple by Sicnarf Loopstok.
Notebook
Keller was lifted after the Loopstok triple…He allowed only three hits fanned five and walked two…Krieger made a sensational diving catch in center field in the top of the sixth, robbing Logan Hill of extra bases…Connor Marabell, Daniel Salters and Ka'ai Tom all collected singles for the RubberDucks, who were limited to four hits total…It was the first home win for the Ducks…Game-time temperature was 36 degrees…Time of game: 2:29…Attendance: 1,725.
On the Pond
The RubberDucks and Curve (6-3) will play again on Tuesday evening at 6:35. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App.
