July 14: Palacios, pitching lead Ducks' 11-2 win in Harrisburg

July 14 RubberDucks Game Recap | Box Score

Akron RubberDucks (36-24) 11, Harrisburg Senators (22-39) 2

WP: Skylar Arias (5-0) LP: Tim Cate (2-4) S: None

Summary

RubberDucks second baseman Richie Palacios had his first career five-hit game, and catcher Bo Naylor homered in his return from the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, while Akron pitching held Harrisburg without a run until the ninth inning of an 11-2 victory – and fourth straight win overall – in the second game of a six-gam series at FNB Field Wednesday night.

Turning Point

Akron scored five runs in the first inning and led the rest of the game. Shortstop Andruw Monasterio and left fielder Steven Kwan hit consecutive one-out singles against Senators left-hander Tim Cate, and Palacios drove them home with a two-run double. Two batters later, first baseman Jonathan Engelmann began his three-hit night with an RBI double down the left-field line. Naylor added an RBI single to left field and went to second base on an overthrow to home plate, then scored when third baseman Ike Freeman hit an infield single, and shortstop Jackson Cluff threw past first base.

Mound Presence

In his second Double-A start, Morris took the mound with a multi-run lead for a second straight outing. He allowed only two hits and one runner to reach second base, striking out six batters with no walks in a second straight four-scoreless-inning start. Left-hander Skylar Arias worked around a walk in a scoreless sixth inning, right-hander Kyle Marman pitched two perfect innings, and left-hander Zach Draper pitched a perfect eighth inning. With an 11-0 lead right-hander Dakody Clemmer allowed two runs on a hit, two walks and a hit batter, before left-hander Jake Miednik got the final out.

Duck Tales

Akron scored three runs each in the third and ninth innings. Palacios led off the third inning with a double against Cate, Engelmann hit a one-out RBI double, and Naylor drilled a homer to right field. He had also homered in his last Double-A Northeast game (Friday in Altoona). In the ninth inning against left-hander Matt Cronin, Monasterio singled, Kwan walked, and Palacios hit a one-out RBI single. Engelmann and Freeman each added RBI singles, capping their three-hit games.

Notebook

At 36-24, Akron is in first place by one game over Erie (36-26) in the Double-A Northeast Southwest Division…Palacios is the second RubberDuck with a five-hit game this season, joining Tyler Freeman (May 15 at Erie)…With three hits, Monasterio now has 11 hits and has scored eight runs on the road trip…Time of game: 3:01…Attendance: 2,164.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their six-game series in Harrisburg at 6:30 p.m. EDT Thursday. Akron LHP Juan Hillman (6-2, 3.39 ERA) is scheduled to face Senators RHP Andrew Lee (2-4, 4.42 ERA). The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for RubberDucks home games are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.