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Civale dominant as Ducks open series with 8-0 over Squirrels

Akron starter Aaron Civale allowed only one hit over seven innings on Wednesday at Richmond to improve to 5-2 on the year. (David Monseur)
July 4, 2018

RubberDucks 8 Flying Squirrels 0WP: Aaron Civale (5-2) LP: Jake McCasland (2-2) Save: noneSummaryAkron's Aaron Civale combined with a pair of relievers on a one-hitter, and Willi Castro slugged a three-run homer, as the RubberDucks blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels, 8-0, Wednesday night at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.


RubberDucks 8 Flying Squirrels 0
WP: Aaron Civale (5-2) LP: Jake McCasland (2-2) Save: none
Summary
Akron's Aaron Civale combined with a pair of relievers on a one-hitter, and Willi Castro slugged a three-run homer, as the RubberDucks blanked the Richmond Flying Squirrels, 8-0, Wednesday night at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.

Turning Point
The RubberDucks (49-36) turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 cushion with three, key insurance runs in the eighth inning against former Akron closer Jose Flores. With two outs and no one on, Castro singled and Mark Mathias walked. Ka'ai Tom followed with a single to right field to score Castro. On the next pitch, Sicnarf Loopstok socked a double down the right-field line to score Mathias and Tom and extend the Akron lead to 4-0. It was Loopstok's third hit of the night.
Mound Presence
Civale was masterful. He allowed a one-out double in the first inning but worked around it with no damage. He lasted seven innings and finished his outing by retiring the final 12 batters he faced. Civale (5-2) walked one and struck out four and earned his first road win since April 11th and his fifth win overall. Rob Kaminsky took over in the eight and pitched one scoreless inning, and Mitch Brown completed the whitewash with a scoreless ninth.
Duck Tales
Bobby Bradley drilled an RBI double in the first inning off Jake McCasland (2-2) to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. Castro crushed a three-run homer in the ninth off Patrick Ruotolo when the RubberDucks scored four times to blow the game open. It was his fourth homer of the season and his third hit of the night. Connor Marabell finished 2-5, with an RBI, on the night to extend his hit streak to nine games.
Notebook
It was the second straight shutout and eighth of the season for the RubberDucks…Akron pitching now has a streak of 21 consecutive scoreless innings over the past three games…McCasland only allowed one run over seven innings…The Flying Squirrels (41-42) fell below .500 for the first time this season…Time of game: 2:30… Attendance: 9,810.
On the Pond
The RubberDucks and Flying Squirrels will continue the series Thursday night at 7:05. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App.