SummaryThe Richmond Flying Squirrels scored five runs in the first two innings and combined to shut out the RubberDucks on one hit after a third-inning home run by first baseman Nellie Rodríguez in a 5-2 Richmond victory in the series finale to split the four-game series at The Diamond in
Summary
The Richmond Flying Squirrels scored five runs in the first two innings and combined to shut out the RubberDucks on one hit after a third-inning home run by first baseman Nellie Rodríguez in a 5-2 Richmond victory in the series finale to split the four-game series at The Diamond in Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday afternoon.
Turning Point
Akron did not score in the first inning for the first time in the series, and Richmond scored three unearned runs in the first inning. Center fielder C.J. McElroy reached on an error by shortstop Ernie Clement , stole second base and went to third base on a wild pitch by right-hander Jake Paulson (2-2), who walked right fielder Johneshwy Fargas, before left fielder Chris Shaw grounded an RBI single into left field. Two batters later, third baseman Jonah Arenado hit a sacrifice fly, and consecutive singles by first baseman Gio Brusa and catcher Jin-De Jhang scored another run to make it 3-0.
Mound Presence
After the three-run first inning, Paulson allowed two runs in the second inning on RBI singles by Fargas and designated hitter Jacob Heyward to make it 5-0. Paulson then retired 11 of the next 12 batters, working into the sixth inning. He left with the bases loaded and two outs, before left-hander David Speer retired Shaw on a flyout. Flying Squirrels left-hander Caleb Baragar (1-0) pitched six innings, retiring 10 straight after Rodriguez's home run, and right-handers Sam Wolff, Raffi Vizcaino and Melvin Adon each pitched a scoreless inning, with seven strikeouts among the final nine batters.
Duck Tales
Clement hit a leadoff single in the first inning and two-out double in the third inning, before Rodriguez hit his third home run in eight games since joining Akron - a two-run homer to left field to make it 5-2. Designated hitter Wilson Garcia led off the seventh inning with his team-high 12th double for the only Akron hit among the final 20 RubberDucks batters.
Notebook
For a 12th straight game, the RubberDucks starting pitcher went at least five innings and allowed two earned runs or fewer. Akron is 6-6 in that span…Rodriguez extended an eight-game hitting streak to begin his season, but center fielder Daniel Johnson and right fielder Connor Marabell were hitless, ending 11- and 10-game streaks, respectively, that ares the club's two longest this season…Clement has an 11-game on-base streak…Time of game: 2:16…Attendance: 6,073.
On the Pond
The RubberDucks open a series at Canal Park with Harrisburg on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. EDT. LHP Sam Hentges (1-5, 4.69) is scheduled to start for Akron against LHP Ben Braymer (3-1, 2.51) for the Senators. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeartRadio channel, and the TuneIn Radio App, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets are at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.
