June 6: Erie SeaWolves' Pitching Staff Blank RubberDucks 6-0 In Series Finale

SeaWolves (19-10) 6 - RubberDucks (18-10) 0

WP: Pedro Payano (2-1) LP: Eli Lingos (3-1) Save: none

Summary

The Erie SeaWolves utilized a three-run first inning and a two-run second inning to jump ahead of the RubberDucks in the early going in the finale of the teams’ shortened five-game series on Sunday afternoon. Pedro Payano, Caleb Coshow, and Henry Martinez blanked the RubberDucks while striking out ten batters and only allowing four hits in the 6-0 victory in the series finale.

Turning Point

Once again the SeaWolves scored in the first inning, continuing their streak of hot starts in the first inning as they brought home three runs in the opening frame. Andre Lipcius, who would finish the game with three RBIs, hit a double into left field that pushed across runs to give the Wolves a 2-0 lead. Josh Lester would bring home the third run of the inning, and that’s all Erie would need, as they went up 5-0 after only 1.2 innings of work from the Akron starter.

Mound Presence

Eli Lingos made his sixth start of the season for the RubberDucks Sunday afternoon, but quickly ran into trouble as the Erie SeaWolves scored five runs on a total of five hits through only 1.2 innings. Lingos would exit the game in the top of the second after he was hit in the head with a line drive. Eric Mock came in for relief after a rapid pitching change and went 3.1 innings, giving up only one run on a home run by Andre Lipcius, while striking out three and walking two. Francisco Perez, Dakody Clemmer, and Skylar Arias all came on in relief following Mock and were lights out, striking out six total batters across four innings of work while only allowing two base hits.

Duck Tales

For the fourth time in five games, the Erie Seawolves started off the game with at least two runs in the first inning. With 2 on and 2 out, Andre Lipcius hit a line drive deep into left field that bounced off the wall, allowing both men on to score and gave Lipcius a double. The next batter, Josh Lester, would follow up with another double, this one to left center field that scored Lipcius and gave Erie a 3-0 lead. The lead would extend to five in the 2nd inning when Ryan Kreidler hit an rbi single and Riley Green was safe at home on a force out. A scary moment would occur in the inning when Drew Ward hit a line drive that would hit RubberDucks pitcher Eli Lingos in the head. The trainers for both teams immediately rushed out to help Lingos who was down on the ground for over 5 minutes. Lingos was able to walk off on his own power and was taken by trainers back to Akron’s clubhouse. Andre Lipcius would make it 6-0 for Erie in the fifth with a solo home run to complete the scoring the Tigers’ affiliate.

Notebook

With a single in the first inning, Tyler Freeman has now hit safely in 20 of his last 23 games to begin the season, and Freeman now is currently in the top three of the Northeast League for batting average with a tremendous .351 thanks to 34 hits on 97 at-bats … Despite allowing five earned runs in Sunday’s game the RubberDucks still hold the lowest ERA of the Cleveland Indians affiliates with a team average of 3.52, just narrowly better than the Lynchburg Hillcats’ 3.65 ERA … Time of Game: 2:50 … Attendance: 4,444.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks will embark on a 12-game road trip with the first stop being in Altoona, PA where they’ll take on the Curve. The pitching matchup has yet to be announced. The game will be broadcast is on 640 WHLO AM, the WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and the TuneIn Radio App, and available on MiLB.TV.