July 8: RubberDucks beat the Curve early, 8-1

July 8 RubberDucks Game Recap | Box Score

Akron RubberDucks (32-23) 8, Altoona Curve (30-24) 1

WP: Skylar Arias (3-0) LP: Travis MacGregor (2-2) S: None

Summary

The RubberDucks scored five runs over the first two innings to back right-hander Cody Morris, who threw four scoreless innings in his Double-A debut, and all nine Akron starters had at least one hit in an 8-1 victory over the Altoona Curve in the second game of a six-game series at Peoples Natural Gas Field Thursday night.

Turning Point

Akron grabbed the lead before an out was recorded in the first inning by Altoona right-hander Travis MacGregor. Center fielder Will Benson hit a leadoff single, third baseman Andruw Monasterio walked, and left fielder Steven Kwan and second baseman Richie Palacios hit consecutive RBI singles. After catcher Mike Rivera grounded into a double play, MacGregor threw a wild pitch that scored Kwan for a 3-0 Akron lead.

Mound Presence

Morris allowed a first-inning leadoff single before retiring the next eight batters on the way to a four-hit, three-strikeout performance. He was helped by catcher Bo Naylor throwing out a runner at second base to end the third inning and Kwan throwing out a runner at home plate to end the fourth. Left-hander Tanner Tully pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning. Left-hander Skylar Arias pitched two scoreless innings. Right-hander Nick Mikolajchak allowed Altoona’s run in the eighth inning, before right-hander Juan Móta’s scoreless ninth. Akron pitchers struck out 12 batters and walked one.

Duck Tales

Akron followed up its three-run first inning with two more in the second. Right fielder Chris Roller hit a one-out infield single, stole second base and went to third base on a throwing error by catcher Jason Delay. Benson walked, and Monasterio hit an RBI single, before Kwan added a ground-rule RBI double for a 5-0 lead.

Notebook

Benson extended a five-game hitting streak. He has six multi-hit games and is 20-for-53 (.377) with 11 walks, a .478 on-base percentage and .717 slugging percentage in 15 starts as the leadoff batter…Kwan has five hits – each an RBI – in the first two games of the series…The Curve lead the season series, 5-3…Time: 2:49… Attendance: 2,816.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their six-game series in Altoona with a 5 p.m. EDT doubleheader Friday. Akron LHP Juan Hillman (6-2, 3.34 ERA) is scheduled to face Curve LHP Trey McGough (1-2, 4.26 ERA) in Game 1, and RubberDucks RHP Thomas Ponticelli (2-2, 3.32 ERA) is scheduled to face RHP Osvaldo Bido (2-1, 4.36 ERA) in Game 2. 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.