SeaWolves Overpower Squirrels to Win Fourth Straight

The Erie SeaWolves collected their fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon at UPMC Park, overcoming the Richmond Flying Squirrels 8-4.

Richmond took the early lead against A.J. Ladwig (W, 6-7) in the first inning, using a Frankie Tostado two-run home run to establish the scene for the game.

The third inning saw Erie break ahead for a moment. After Erie loaded the bases on two walks and an error, Kerry Carpenter lifted a double off of the wall in left field to score all three runners.

The game was eventually tied in the fifth inning when Ladwig let up a second home run, a solo blast to right field by Jacob Heyward. The errors hurt Richmond again in the fifth, when on a pair of singles by Eric De La Rosa and Carlos Mendoza, with an error mixed in, allowed another run to score. Daniel Cabrera followed the singles with a line drive two-run home run to left field, keeping starter Michael Plassmeyer (L, 3-9) from finishing the frame. Andre Lipcius took Luis Amaya deep to start his relief appearance, concluding a four-run inning for Erie.

It was a 7-3 game after five innings as Ladwig took the next frame, but another solo home brought Richmond closer, as Sandro Fabian lifted a shot to center field. The three home runs against Ladwig tied a career high, but he was still able to finish six innings.

Bouncing back from a tough outing, Gerson Moreno logged two scoreless innings of relief for Erie, striking out four batters over the seventh and eighth.

Erie plated a final run in the eighth inning. After knocking two singles to put runners at the corners, Dane Myers and Andre Lipcius attempted a double steal. Myers was caught at second base, but Lipcius scored Erie’s eighth run on the other end.

Cale Coshow took the ninth inning for Erie, and tossed a perfect frame to finish the day.

Erie concludes the 2021 season on Sunday afternoon at UPMC Park with one final game against Richmond. The season finale will include the usual Sunday catch on the field, where fans can bring a glove and a ball to play catch in the outfield following the game. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. When the series concludes, Erie will look ahead to the 2022 season, beginning on April 8 at UPMC Park with a three-game series against the Akron RubberDucks.