Bryce Rainer hit his first home run for the Whitecaps, while Ben Jacobs continued his strong performance. The Toledo Mud Hens won against the Memphis Redbirds 4-3 in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
Key points
Bryce Rainer hit first home run for the Whitecaps
Ben Jacobs continued strong performance
Toledo Mud Hens won 4-3 against Memphis Redbirds
Gage Workman had the game-winning hit
Dylan File pitched 5 1/3 innings for the Mud Hens
Paul DeJongToledo Mud HensMemphis RedbirdsBryce Rainer
Gage Workmanâs eighth inning single walked Game 1 off for the Mud Hens as the first of a doubleheader after Tuesday nightâs rainout.
Right-hander Dylan File was knocked around a bit, but hung in there to toss 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball while striking out six on the day.
A pair of singles in the top of the first were cashed in when File allowed a two-run double. New acquisition Paul DeJong doubled in the bottom half for his first Mud Hens at-bat, but was stranded. File gave up another run in the top of the third, but the Mud Hens kicked it into gear at that point.
Max Clark singled in Andrew Navigato in the third, and Eduardo Valencia cracked a solo shot in the fourth to make it a 3-2 Memphis lead. In the sixth, Corey Julks singled and Workman doubled him to third, where he eventually scored on a Navigato ground out. That was all theyâd get, but it made it a 3-3 game while Drew Sommers took over from File successfully.
Tanner Rainey spun a scoreless eighth, an extra inning as this was scheduled for seven. DeJong started on second for the Hens, and was wild pitched to third. Workman stepped in and banged a ground ball through the right side for a walkoff single.
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The Redbirds fought back in a low scoring Game 2. Lefty Carlos Peña, up from Erie to help out, gave up a run in two innings of work. Konnor Pilkington took over, allowing a two-run third inning. Scott Effross and Jack Little kept Memphis in check the rest of the way, but no comeback was forthcoming.
Luke Ritter tripled with one out in the bottom of the third, but was cut down at home on a Ben Malgeri ground ball. Finally in the sixth, Corey Julks led off with a walk, eventually scoring on a TomĂĄs Nido double. Max Clark drew a two out walk in the bottom of the seventh, and Julks followed with a walk, but Workmanâs magic was already used up on thsi day, and he grounded out to end it.
Nido: 1-2, RBI, 2B, BB
Clark: 1-3, BB
Julks: 1-3, R, BB
Pena: 2.0 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The series is even at a game apiece headed into a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Thursday.
The SeaWolves banged out 12 hits and drew six walks to overcome a shaky start from Lael Lockhart Jr. on Wednesday.
Lockhart allowed a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but in the third the SeaWolves came back. Bennett Lee led off the third with a walk, and scored on a Peyton Graham triple to center field. John Peck reached on a soft single to third base, and Justice Bigbie doubled in Graham. An Andrew Jenkins sacrifice fly scored Peck and made it 3-2 SeaWolves.
Unfortunately, Lockhart allowed a run in the bottom half, and then another in the fifth before departing, leaving the game with it 4-3 Senators.
In the seventh the comeback arrived courtesy of RBI knocks from Peck and Bigbie to make it 6-4 SeaWolves. Dariel Fregio gave a run back in the bottom half, but in the eighth, Aaron Antonini led off with a walk, and Peyton Graham singled with one out. Peck pulled a ball to shortstop but Seaver King threw it away, scoring Antonini. Bigbie singled in Graham, and a Jenkins grounder to third allowed Peck to score ahead of the throw. Two walks followed, forcing in a run to make it 10-5.
Tanner Kohlhepp allowed a run in relief, but the SeaWolves werenât done scoring yet either.
Graham was hit by a pitch in the top of the ninth, and Peck reached on another error. He and Graham pulled off a double steal, but it wasnât required as Bigbie struck out, and then Jenkins blasted a three run homer, his fifth of the year, to cap the scoring.
Jenkins: 3-4, R, 5 RBI, HR, BB
Graham: 2-4, 4 R, RBI, 3B, BB, K, SB
Peck: 2-6, 4 R, RBI, 2B, SB
Lockhart: 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves have a 2-0 lead in the series heading into Thursdayâs 6:30 p.m. ET start time in Harrisburg.
The Whitecaps losing streak hit 10 games on Wednesday, and once again, they lost it in the ninth inning. Itâs no consolation that this one was at home and so not a walkoff.
Left-hander Ben Jacobs, at least, continued to pitch very well in his second Midwest League outing. He punched out seven over four innings of work, allowing just a solo shot to Kien Vu in the first inning.
In the bottom of the first, Jackson Strong drew a leadoff walk, but was cut down trying to steal second. Ricardo Hurtado and Garrett Pennington followed with singles, and Bryce Rainer lined a single to left to score Hurtado. Pennington was cut down trying to go first to third, so that was all theyâd get.
In the third, Strong tried again, walking and successfully stealing second. Pennington singled him home, and Rainer walked, but Samuel Gil and Cristian Santana struck out.
CJ Weins and then Thomas Bruss got the âCaps through the eighth still holding a 2-1 lead, and then Rainer rifled a line drive home run to left field for his first with the Whitecaps.
Things looked good, and after Logan Berrier closed out the eighth, he was back for the ninth. Unfortunately, he allowed a one out walk, a single, and then made an error on a comebacker. An error from Junior Tilien in left contributed as the Dragons scored three unearned runs to take the lead. The Whitecaps went 1-2-3 in the bottom half.
Rainer: 2-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB
Pennington: 2-5, RBI
Jacobs: 4.0 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 7 K
Coming Up Next: Itâs an 11:00 a.m. ET start on Thursday.
Rookie Cash Kuiper put together his best outing so far this year, and the Flying Tigers used a mix of power and speed on the bases to win on Wednesday.
Kuiper no-hit the Mets for 3 2/3 innings in this one. He walked two, and struck out six, giving his team every chance to build a lead.
They got started quickly, as Jesus Pinto led off the bottom of the first with a walk and quickly stole second base. Max Anderson grounded out to move him to third, but a comebacker from Jordan Yost was thrown away the Metsâ Joel Lara and Pinto scored.
They started to break it open in the third when Yost singled up the middle and Zach MacDonald hammered a triple to the wall in center field. Yost scored, and MacDonald rode home on Beau Ankeneyâs second home run of the year. 4-0 Lakeland.
Unfortunately, that wouldnât be enough as a rehabbing Preston Howey got into trouble in the sixth and allowed a run and then a two-run shot that made it a 4-3 game.
Luke Hoskins gave up a run in the seventh that tied it up. In the bottom of the seventh, Javier Osorio drew a walk and stole second base. Pinto walked and Osorio stole third as well. A Max Anderson sacrifice fly was enough to score the go ahead run. Pinto then stole second, but a rocket from Yost to right was caught, and MacDonald struck out.
So it was up to Yendy Gomez to lock this one down. He started poorly in the eighth, walking the leadoff hitter, but Gomez has good stuff, up to 98 mph with his sinker, and he bounced back. A strikeout and a pop-up followed, and then Gomez picked off the runner at first to end it. Gomez got in a little trouble in the ninth as well, but was able to wriggle out of a jam to collect the save.
Ankeney: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 K
MacDonald: 1-4, R, RBI, 3B, 3 K
Kuiper: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: Itâs a 6:30 p.m. ET start in Lakeland on Thursday with the series tied up 1-1.