The SeaWolves took advantage of late Akron miscues as they took the opening game of a four-game series over the RubberDucks, 4-3, on Thursday night.Erie took the lead in the top of the first inning against Akron starter Cameron Mingo. Will Maddox tripled down the right field line with one
The SeaWolves took advantage of late Akron miscues as they took the opening game of a four-game series over the RubberDucks, 4-3, on Thursday night.
Erie took the lead in the top of the first inning against Akron starter Cameron Mingo. Will Maddox tripled down the right field line with one out and scored on a Josh Lester double for a 1-0 lead.
Akron jumped ahead in the third against Erie starter Tyler Alexander. Tyler Krieger led off with a single and moved to second on a Willi Castro sacrifice bunt. Joe Sever singled to put runners on the corners for Sicnarf Loopstok. Loopstok singled home Kreiger, tying the game. Mark Mathias then lifted a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Sever for a 2-1 Ducks lead.
The SeaWolves regained the lead in the top of the sixth against Ducks reliever Leandro Linares. Blaise Salter notched his first Double-A hit with a one-out single. Kenny Wilson followed with a double, putting runners on second and third for Herlis Rodriguez. Rodriguez laid down a safety squeeze, plating Salter to tie the game and move Wilson over to third. Wilson scored on a wild pitch, giving Erie a 3-2 lead.
The RubberDucks tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Kreiger led off with a single but was erased at second on a fielder's choice that put Castro on first. Castro stole second and scored on an error on a Sever base hit, making it a 3-3 game.
The SeaWolves would score the winning run in the top of the ninth against reliever Mitch Brown. Brown retired the first five batters he faced before Jacob Robson stepped to the plate. Robson struck out but reached on a wild pitch. With Maddox hitting, Robson moved to second on a wild pitch to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. A third wild pitch pushed Robson to third. Maddox walked to give Erie runners on the corners for Lester. With Lester batting, Brown delivered a fourth wild pitch, scoring Robson to make it 4-3.
Erie reliever Mark Ecker (2-2), who entered the game in the seventh, earned the win. He tossed 2.2 scoreless frames, including a 1-2-3 ninth, preserving the win. Ecker retired the last five batters he faced.
Brown (0-2) took the loss for the Ducks allowing a run on no hits with a walk and two strikeouts in two innings.
Alexander took the no-decision allowing three runs, two earned, on 11 hits with a walk and no strikeouts in a season-high 6.1 innings.
The SeaWolves will look for consecutive wins on Friday night against the RubberDucks at Canal Park at 6:35 p.m. Righty Beau Burrows (3-2, 2.81 ERA) takes the mound for Erie against LHP Sean Brady (1-2, 3.45 ERA).
