The BlueClaws blanked Hickory 4-0 on Sunday to finish the first half at 41-28. ---
The BlueClaws blanked Hickory 4-0 on Sunday to finish the first half at 41-28.
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LAKEWOOD, NJ - David Parkinson threw seven scoreless innings and set a new career high with 11 strikeouts to lead the BlueClaws to a 4-0 win over Hickory on Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Park.
Lakewood's game ended at 3:20 and they needed a Kannapolis loss in their 5:05 pm game against Greensboro for Lakewood to return to the post-season for the fifth time in franchise history.
Parkinson (6-1), who lowered his ERA to a league-best 1.07, gave up just three hits and didn't walk a batter to go along with his 11 strikeouts.
The BlueClaws opened the scoring in the third inning on an RBI groundout by Nick Maton for a 1-0 lead. Jake Scheiner led off the fourth inning with a solo home run, his eighth of season to lead the team, and put the BlueClaws up 2-0.
Maton drove in another run with a groundout in the fifth inning for his second RBI of the game to give Lakewood a 3-0 lead.
Rodolfo Duran then Lakewood's second home run of the day leading off in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the BueClaws up 4-0. Duran's home run was his seventh of the season after he did not homer at all last year with Williamsport in the NY-Penn League.
All-Stars Kyle Dohy and Addison Russ threw a scoreless inning apiece to finish off the BlueClaws' Minor League-best 15th shutout of the first half. BlueClaws pitchers finished the first-half with an MiLB-best 2.55 ERA.
Six BlueClaws - Jake Scheiner, Nick Maton, Ramon Rosso, Will Stewart, Addison Russ, and Kyle Dohy - will play in Tuesday's SAL All-Star Game in Greensboro. The BlueClaws open the second half on Thursday night at Columbia.
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