Toledo Mud Hens 2, Indianapolis Indians 1 (box)
Jackson Wolf delivered six hitless innings, and Toledo reclaimed the lead in the eighth to earn its third consecutive win over Indianapolis. Four Mud Hens pitchers combined to allow just one hit while striking out 12.
Wolf’s only two blemishes were a leadoff walk in the second and a hit batter in the fifth. The latter looked like it might have caught the knob of Tyler Callihan’s bat, but there’s no replay to review that in the minors.
Wolf filled up the strike zone over six innings, throwing 54 strikes on 72 pitches. He struck out five with his sweeper and eight overall, generating 13 whiffs on 41 swings. Wolf’s command of his secondary pitches was a thing of beauty today. His sweeper was lethal in two-strike counts and averaged 11 inches of horizontal break.
The no-hit line is a bit deceptive. Indianapolis put 10 balls in play against Wolf, including six hard hits, but some good defense from Michael Siani in center field, among others, bailed him out a few times.
Wolf’s only problem was that the offense provided hardly any run support. The Mud Hens squandered an early opportunity in the second, when Siani struck out with the bases loaded. James Outman grounded into Toledo’s second double play of the game earlier in the inning.
Andrew Navigato doubled with one out in the fifth and advanced to third on a groundout, but the Hens stranded him there. They finally broke the scoreless tie in the sixth. Corey Julks doubled with one out, and Jung drove him home with a single to center.
Hayden Minton preserved the lead and extended the combined no-hit bid in the seventh, working around a leadoff walk. Ty Madden took over in the eighth and struck out the first batter he faced before Nick Cimillo gave the Indians their first hit of the day, a game-tying solo homer to center.
The Mud Hens answered in the bottom half. Jung collected his third base knock of the game, and Outman walked before Seby Zavala bunted both runners into scoring position. Indianapolis intentionally walked Chris Meyers to load the bases, and Navigato brought Jung home with a force out.
Madden returned for the ninth but walked Enmanuel Valdez with one out. Tanner Rainey took over and retired the final two batters, securing the victory and Rainey’s third save.
Jung: 3-4, R, RBI
Navigato: 1-3, 2B (15), RBI, HBP
Julks: 1-4, 2B (15), R
Wolf: 6.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 8 K
Coming Up Next: The series continues Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Toledo leads 3-0.
Somerset Patriots at Erie SeaWolves, postponed
Thursday’s game was postponed due to rain. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 5:05 p.m. ET.
Coming Up Next: The series resumes Friday at 6:05 p.m. ET. Somerset leads 2-0.
Dayton Dragons 9, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (box)
West Michigan carried a two-run lead into the bottom of the eighth, but Dayton scored seven runs with two outs to hand the Whitecaps their first loss of the series.
The loss left West Michigan two games behind Great Lakes in the Midwest League East with only three games remaining. Great Lakes was rained out Thursday and has four games left, beginning with a doubleheader Friday, leaving the Whitecaps needing to win out and get plenty of help to reach the postseason.
Cale Wetwiska made his High-A debut in this one. He struck out the first two batters he faced but had to escape a jam after a hit batter and a single put runners on the corners. Dayton broke through in the second when a pitch hit Damian Ruiz, advanced to third on a Kyle Henley single and scored on Johnny Ascanio’s sacrifice fly.
The Whitecaps answered in the third. Bryce Rainer doubled — his second hit of the day — and Beau Ankeney launched a no-doubter to the scoreboard in left-center.
West Michigan added to its 2-1 lead in the fourth with a single from Cristian Santana and a double to right from Juan Hernandez. Despite the ball going into the corner, Dayton got the relay home in time to tag Santana, who stumbled rounding third. The catcher dropped the ball, though, leading to a quick reversal of the home-plate umpire’s out call.
Wetwiska got through the third 1-2-3, but he gave up a solo shot and two singles while recording only one out in the fourth. Zack Lee took over and stranded both runners, preserving a 3-2 lead.
Stephen Hrustich drove in Jackson Strong with a sac fly to put West Michigan back up by two in the fifth. Lee retired the side in order in the bottom half, but Dayton pulled within one again in the sixth. Jalen Evans got the final out of the inning and worked a clean seventh. He was an out away from getting through the eighth without trouble, but things unraveled.
A double tied the game up, and a single put the Dragons in front 5-4. Consecutive walks loaded the bases, prompting a pitching change for the Whitecaps. Logan Berrier couldn’t stop the bleeding. Back-to-back two-run hits blew the game wide open before Berrier finally ended the seven-run inning.
West Michigan struck out six times against David Lorduy over the final two frames.
Ankeney: 3-4, 2B (6), HR (9), 2 RBI, BB
Rainer: 2-5, 2B (21), R, K
Hernandez: 2-4, 2B (7), K
Wetwiska: 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K
J. Evans (L, 4-5): 2.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: The series continues Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET. West Michigan leads 2-1.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 8, Bradenton Marauders 2 (box)
Lakeland launched a pair of three-run homers during a seven-run third inning and cruised past Bradenton to even the series.
Cameron Flukey gave the Flying Tigers four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out six. He had to work out of trouble immediately after Bradenton’s first two runners reached, but Flukey struck out the next three batters.
Flukey faced another jam in the second after a hit-by-pitch, bunt single and throwing error put runners on second and third, but Mike Jarvis flied out to end the threat.
Flukey generated 10 whiffs on 21 swings, including four with his slider and three with his changeup. His fastball was elite, generating 20 inches of induced vertical break and 8 inches of armside run.
The Flying Tigers erupted in the third. Brady Ballinger singled, and Hunter Dobbins doubled before Angel De Los Santos launched a three-run homer to left.
Tyson LeBlanc singled, and Jesus Pinto walked before Anibal Salas followed with another three-run shot, making it 6-0.
Cris Rodriguez doubled after the homer and scored on Zach MacDonald’s sacrifice fly.
Paul Wilson took over in the fifth and struck out three consecutive batters after hitting the leadoff man. Bradenton finally broke through against him in the sixth. Tre Phelps and Brent Iredale opened the inning with singles, and Wilson issued a one-out walk to load the bases before Leonardo Rossell entered. Carl Calixte brought Phelps home with a groundout, but Rossell stranded the other two runners.
Rossell’s command slipped in the seventh. He walked Chris Rembert before allowing a single and another walk to load the bases with one out. Yendy Gomez entered and traded a run for an out on Antonio Pimentel’s grounder before striking out Bralyn Brazoban to end the inning.
Rodriguez restored the six-run lead in the eighth with his third home run of the season, a leadoff shot to right-center. Both of Rodriguez’s extra-base hits came off the bat at 105 mph, the two hardest hits of the day.
Gomez struck out the side in the bottom half, giving him four strikeouts over 1 2/3 perfect innings. He threw 15 of his 19 pitches for strikes and generated seven whiffs on 10 swings, including six on six swings against his slider.
Xiomer Guacache retired the side in order in the ninth to finish the victory.
De Los Santos: 1-4, HR (3), R, 3 RBI, BB, K
Salas: 2-5, 2B (17), HR (8), R, 3 RBI, K
Rodriguez: 2-4, 2B (4), HR (3), 2 R, RBI, K
Dobbins: 1-3, 2B (11), R, BB, K
Flukey: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: Lakeland and Bradenton play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 5 p.m. ET. The series is tied 1-1.
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