Flashback: Aug-Sept. in the Eastern League

Aug. 1 -- Altoona's Landon Jacobsen earned his Eastern League-leading 12th win in a 10-4 victory over Harrisburg. Jacobsen allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. The 27-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked two and won his fourth straight decision.

Aug. 1 -- Binghamton stretched its winning streak to 12 games with a 5-1 victory over New Britain. With the win, the Mets moved one-game ahead of Portland and Trenton for the lead in the Eastern League Northern Division. Starter Bryan Edwards yielded one run over eight innings.

Aug. 2 -- Salomon Manriquez belted a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning as Harrisburg edged Altoona, 8-7. Dan DeMent homered twice for the Senators, who ended a nine-game losing streak.
Audio: Manriquez goes deep

Aug. 2 -- Ryan Goleski had a season-high four hits, including two homers, as Akron beat New Hampshire, 11-3. The 24-year-old left fielder blasted a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in in the fifth. He finished with three RBIs and four runs scored.

Aug. 3 -- Adam Miller struck out 11 for the second straight start as Akron defeated New Hampshire, 4-2. The right-hander won his fifth straight decision to tie Altoona's Landon Jacobsen for the Eastern League leads with 12 wins. He allowed a run on three hits and two walks over six innings.

Aug. 4 -- Robinson Cano went 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored in his second rehab game as Trenton beat Bowie, 5-2. The New York Yankees second baseman slapped an RBI single and scored on Randy Ruiz's two-run homer as the Thunder took a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

Aug. 5 -- Zack Segovia pitched eight strong innings for his Minor League-leading 15th win as Reading defeated Harrisburg, 4-2. Segovia yielded two runs on four hits while striking out six to improve to 10-5 with Reading. The 23-year-old right-hander was 5-1 for Class A Advanced Clearwater.

Aug. 6 -- Christopher Maples hit two of Erie's four home runs in a 9-6 victory over New Hampshire. Kelly Hunt and Andrew Graham connected for back-to-back blasts in the fourth inning as the SeaWolves overcame a three-run deficit.
Audio: Maples' second homer

Aug. 7 -- Michael Connolly set a team record with his 79th career start as Altoona edged Connecticut, 4-3. Connolly gave up three runs on four hits while striking out five over seven innings. Taber Lee singled and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh.

Aug. 8 -- Dustin Majewski's two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning gave New Hampshire a 3-1 win over Akron. The 24-year-old designated hitter hit his ninth homer with two outs in the fifth and was 7-for-17 with three homers and seven RBIs during a four-game stretch.
Audio: Majewski ends it with a homer

Aug. 9 -- New Hampshire overcame a five-run deficit and posted a 10-9 victory over Akron. Chip Cannon's grand slam highlighted a six-run eighth inning as the Fisher Cats matched the largest comeback in team history. New Hampshire's Dustin Majewski set a team record by homering for the fourth straight game.
Audio: Cannon's slam

Aug. 9 -- Portland snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over Harrisburg. Jeremy West, who went 2-for-4, singled home Jake Ellsbury in the bottom of the ninth inning. Brandon Moss went 3-for-4 for the Sea Dogs.
Audio: Oletjen's double

Aug. 10 -- Adam Miller tossed a four-hitter as Akron blanked New Hampshire, 2-0. Miller tied a season high with 11 strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 2.81 and winning his sixth straight decision.
Audio: Miller's 11th strikeout

Aug. 11 -- Matt Moses tied a career high with six RBIs as New Britain defeated Altoona, 9-2. He cracked a three-run homer in the first inning and added a three-run double in the third.

Aug. 11 -- Matt Van Der Bosch hit a three-run homer as Portland outslugged Akron, 9-7. Van Der Bosch also drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning, while Jeremy West went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.

Aug. 12 -- Jake Wald smacked a grand slam to power Connecticut past Erie, 7-3. The Defenders started the second inning with three straight singles. Two outs later, Wald hit his fourth homer of the season. The 25-year-old shortstop, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, also delivered a run-scoring triple in the eighth. Connecticut starter Garrett Broshuis limited the SeaWolves to three hits over six scoreless innings.
Audio: Wald's slam

Aug. 13 -- Portland's Frank Brooks tossed six hitless innings, but Akron posted a 1-0, 10-inning win over the SeaWolves. Aeros second baseman Elder Torres led off the seventh with a single to break up the no-hit bid, but Brooks struck out the next three batters. He went seven innings, allowing one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts. Akron's Sean Smith gave up two hits and fanned eight over eight scoreless frames. Jared Sandberg's single scored Pat Osborn with the game's lone run.

Aug. 14 -- Simon Pond hit a bases-loaded triple in the fifth inning to lift Altoona to a 4-2 victory over Connecticut. Curve starter John Van Benschoten yielded two runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts over five innings for his first win in more than two years.

Aug. 15 -- Bowie defeated Binghamton, 9-4, for its fifth straight win. Jeff Fiorentino went 3-for-4 with a grand slam in the fifth inning that put the Baysox ahead for good. Over his last 24 at-bats, the 23-year-old left fielder had 11 hits to raise his batting average to .251.
Audio: Tolbert's double

Aug. 16 -- Jonathan Connolly pitched a two-hitter as Erie blanked New Britain, 5-0, in the opener of a doubleheader. He fanned six and walked three as the SeaWolves ended a four-game losing streak.

Aug. 17 -- Tyler Clippard etched his name in the record books as he threw the first no-hitter in Thunder history in a 9-0 rout of Harrisburg. Clippard fanned nine and walked four en route to his seventh straight win. The 21-year-old right-hander had lost nine of his first 11 decisions.

Aug. 18 -- Kurt Airoso belted a walk-off homer in the ninth inning to give Erie a 3-2 win over Connecticut. SeaWolves starter Virgil Vasquez pitched his first complete game of the season, scattering nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Audio: Airoso goes yard

Aug. 19 -- Gary Burnham clubbed his team-record 54th career homer to power Reading past New Britain, 5-2, in the opener of a doubleheader. Burnham hit his 14th homer of the season in the first inning to pass catcher Dan Held's total from 1995-97. Phillies starter Gio Gonzalez went six innings, allowing two runs -- one earned -- on five hits with a walk and nine strikeouts.
Audio: Burnham's record-setting homer

Aug. 20 -- Beau Hale scattered three hits over seven innings as Bowie shut out Akron, 6-0. Hale struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 2.79. In 84 innings since being promoted from Class A Advanced Frederick, the right-hander has struck out 56 walked 17.

Aug. 21 -- Glen Perkins pitched seven strong innings as New Britain edged Connecticut, 1-0. The left-hander gave up one hit, walked two and struck out 10 to win for the first time since June 4. Jesse Floyd of the Defenders pitched his second complete game of the season, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out nine.

Aug. 22 -- Chris Begg tossed a two-hitter as Connecticut defeated New Britain, 3-1. He walked one and struck out three in winning his fifth consecutive start. Defenders right fielder Nate Schierholtz belted his 12th homer in the third inning to extend his Eastern League-leading hitting streak to 18 games.

Aug. 23 -- Virgil Vasquez pitched a five-hitter for his second straight complete game as Erie topped Trenton, 5-1. The 24-year-old right-hander surrendered one run, walked one and struck out five. Christopher Maples' two-run double capped the SeaWolves' five-run sixth inning.

Aug. 24 -- Phil Hughes, Paul Thorp and Scott Patterson combined on a two-hitter as Trenton crushed Akron, 18-0. Hughes, the highly touted Yankees prospect, walked one and struck out nine over five innings. Shelley Duncan went 4-for-6 with three RBIs and three runs scored, while Randy Ruiz hit a three-run homer.

Aug. 25 -- Dan Ortmeier drove in the tying and winning runs to lift Connecticut to a 5-4 victory over Reading. Ortmeier lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to make it 4-4 and belted a walk-off homer in the 10th. Defenders first baseman Tyler Von Schell doubled twice and drove in two runs.
Audio: Ortmeier's walk-off homer

Aug. 26 -- Nate Schierholtz upped his league-best hitting streak to 22 games as Connecticut beat Reading, 3-2. The 22-year-old right fielder singled in the first inning and slugged his 14th homer in the sixth. Defenders starter Jesse Floyd gave up three hits, walked three and struck out five over seven scoreless innings.

Aug. 27 -- Randy Ruiz hit a pair of two-run doubles to lead Trenton to a 9-6 victory over Akron. Ruiz's league-leading 36th double plated Brett Gardner and Gabe Lopez in the fifth inning. Thunder starter Tyler Clippard yielded two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over five frames to notch his fifth straight win.

Aug. 28 -- Thomas Hottovy flirted with a no-hitter as Portland routed Binghamton, 10-0. He retired the first 11 batters, issued a walk, then sat down the next nine before giving up another walk and a single in the seventh. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out seven over seven frames before Jonathan Searles and Brett Evert each pitched a hitless inning. Portland's Brandon Moss was 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Aug. 29 -- Akron clinched the Southern Division title with a 12-5 victory over Altoona. Brad Snyder slugged a three-run homer in the first inning and a two-run shot in the ninth. The 24-year-old right fielder turned in his second 4-for-4 performance in three days.
Audio: Snyder's second homer

Aug. 29 -- Felix Escalona went 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs as Trenton pounded out 14 hits in an 11-2 romp over Erie. The 27-year-old shortstop hit a three-run homer, a two-run double and an RBI single. Escalona topped his previous best of five RBIs on May 21 against Bowie.

Aug. 30 -- Phil Humber earned his first Double-A victory as Binghamton defeated Portland, 4-1. In his fifth start with the Mets, Humber scattered four hits, walked two and struck out six over six scoreless innings. The 23-year-old right-hander went 3-1 with a 2.37 ERA in seven starts for Class A Advanced St. Lucie before being promoted on Aug. 1.

Aug. 31 -- Devern Hansack, Barry Hertzler and Edgar Martinez combined on a one-hitter, leading Portland over Binghamton, 3-0, before a NYSEG Stadium-record crowd of 7,119. Hansack yiedled the lone hit, walked one and struck out career-high 12 over seven innings. Luis Jimenez hit a three-run homer, his 16th, in the fourth.

Sept. 1 -- Joshua Emmerick clubbed his first homer in more than two years as Harrisburg blanked New Britain, 2-0, in the opener of a doubleheader. Rich Lane doubled with two outs in the sixth inning and Emmerick followed with a shot over the left-field fence for his first homer since June 29, 2004. Senators left-hander Ricardo Morales pitched six innings, allowing four hits, walking one and striking out two in his first Double-A start of the season.

Sept. 2 -- Colby Miller hurled a two-hitter as New Britain blanked Harrisburg, 5-0. Miller walked one and struck out a season-high seven in his first complete game since May 8, 2005. The 24-year-old right-hander retired 18 in a row before walking Greg Thissen to start the ninth.

Sept. 3 -- Garrett Guzman hit three homers and drove in a season-high six runs to power New Britain past Harrisburg, 11-5. The 23-year-old left fielder slugged two-run shots in the second, fifth and seventh innings. Denard Span went 3-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored for the Rock Cats.

Sept. 4 -- Binghamton was eliminated from postseason contention after falling to Connecticut, 2-0, in the opener of a doubleheader. Geno Espineli went the distance for the Defenders, allowing six hits and two walks with a season-best seven strikeouts. Brian Buscher had two of Connecticut's four hits, including a run-scoring single in the first.

Sept. 6 -- Ivan Ochoa's two-run homer highlighted a five-run fifth inning as Akron outslugged Altoona, 12-10, to capture Game 1 of their South Division playoff series. Pat Osborn had three of the Aeros' 14 hits.
Audio: Ochoa goes deep

Sept. 6 -- Phil Hughes struck out 13 over six innings to lead Trenton over Portland, 3-1, in Game 1 of their North Division playoff series. Randy Ruiz singled in the tying and go-ahead runs, while Hideki Matsui delivered an RBI single. The New York Yankees left fielder made his first rehab appearance since breaking his left wrist on May 11. Thunder left-hander Charlie Manning got the win after holding the Sea Dogs to one hit over three scoreless frames.
Audio: Matsui's RBI single
Audio: Hughes' 13th strikeout

Sept. 7 -- Akron scored 11 runs in the first inning en route to a 12-0 romp over Altoona and a 2-0 lead in their South Division playoff series. Brian Barton hit his first Minor League grand slam in the first as the Aeros sent 15 batters to the plate. Trevor Crowe was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Jared Sandberg drove in three runs.
Audio: Barton slams Curve

Sept. 7 -- Recent addition George Kottaras homered and drove in two runs as Portland defeated Trenton, 10-3, to even their North Division series. Kottaras, who was acquired in the trade that sent Red Sox left-hander David Wells to San Diego, slugged a two-run homer in the third inning and singled and scored in a six-run seventh. Brian Myrow drove in three runs and scored twice, while Jake Ellsbury was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Sea Dogs.
Audio: Kottaras goes deep

Sept. 8 -- Altoona avoided a sweep as Landon Jacobsen pitched effectively into the seventh inning in a 4-1 triumph over Akron. Jacobsen held the hot-hitting Aeros to one run on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Ray Sadler hit a two-run blast in the second and Brett Roneberg smacked a solo shot in the sixth for the Curve.
Audio: Ronenerg's homer

Sept. 8 -- Portland defeated Trenton, 5-4, to grab a 2-1 lead in their North Division series. George Kottaras laced an RBI double in the first inning and Brandon Moss followed with a two-run homer to give the Sea Dogs an early lead. Portland's Andrew Dobies yielded two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings.
Audio: Ellsbury homers

Sept. 9 -- Altoona topped Akron, 3-1, to force a decisive Game 5 in their South Division series. Curve starter Wardell Starling yielded one run on three hits and three walks while striking out five in 6 1/3 innings. Simon Pond drove in two runs and Brett Roneberg had two of Altoona's five hits.

Sept. 9 -- Brandon Moss homered with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Portland a 4-3 win over Trenton and a spot in the Eastern League Finals. Brian Myrow homered in the second inning and smacked an RBI double in the fourth before Luis Antonio Jimenez delivered a run-scoring double in the eighth as the Sea Dogs recovered from an early 3-0 deficit.
Audio: Moss lifts Sea Dogs

Sept. 10 -- Brad Snyder connected for a three-run homer to lift Akron to a 5-2 win over Altoona in the decisive fifth game of their South Division series. Brandon Pinckney led off the fourth inning with a single and, one out later, Brian Barton slapped a base hit to left field. Snyder followed with a drive over the left-field wall to give the Aeros a 4-0 lead.
Audio: Snyder's three-run blast

Sept. 12 -- Portland scored four runs over the first three innings and held on for a 4-3 victory over Akron in Game 1 of the best-of-5 EL Finals. Sea Dogs starter Devern Hansack allowed four hits and struck out six over seven innings. Luis Jimenez homered in the third, while Jake Ellsbury, Brandon Moss and Chris Durbin each had two of Portland's nine hits.
Audio: Hansack's sixth strikeout

Sept. 13 -- Dusty Brown knocked in four runs as Portland defeated Akron, 13-8, to take a 2-0 lead in the EL Finals. The Sea Dogs had a 9-8 edge when Brown delivered a three-run double in the ninth inning and scored on a two-bagger by David Bacani. Sea Dogs designated hitter George Kottaras homered and drove in three runs.
Audio: Brown clears the bases

Sept. 15 -- Akron avoided elimination by scoring two runs in the ninth inning to post a 6-4 victory over Portland in Game 3 of the EL Finals. Brian Barton doubled in Brandon Pinckney with the go-ahead run and Pat Osborn padded the lead with a sacrifice fly. Pinckney had four of Akron's 15 hits.
Audio: Osborn lifts Aeros

Sept. 16 -- Akron again used a ninth-inning rally to defeat Portland, 6-5, and even the EL Championship Series. Brandon Pinckney's RBI single in the ninth tied the game, 5-5, before Ryan Goleski lifted a sacrifice fly. Wyatt Toregas slugged a three-run homer in the fourth and Ivan Ochoa had two hits and scored twice for the Aeros.
Audio: Goleski's sacrifice fly

Sept. 17 -- Devern Hansack pitched eight strong innings as Portland defeated Akron, 8-5, to win the Eastern League championship. Hansack gave up three runs on seven hits while striking out eight. Brian Myrow hit a two-run homer and Keoni De Renne drove in three runs as the Sea Dogs built an early 8-1 lead en route to the first championship in their 13-year history.
Audio: Hansack's eighth strikeout
Audio: Searles retires Crowe