EL1 Akron RubberDucks

Aeros Walk Away With 5-3 Victory

Published on July 18, 2009 under Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


AKRON, OH - It was a walking theme Saturday night at Canal Park, as the Aeros tied multiple season-records in a 5-3 win over the Bowie Baysox with 4,809 fans in attendance. Akron won its second game in a row following a six-game losing streak and improved to 58-36 while the Baysox fell to 52-42. The Aeros tied a season-high with 10 walks and also collected 10 hits, marking the first time all season the club reached double digits in both categories in the same game. Nick Weglarz drew four of the walks, tying the franchise record for the second time this year.

Jose Constanza started the night's theme with a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, stole second, advanced to third on a grounder by Weglarz, and scored on Carlos Santana's RBI double. The Baysox threatened in the second but fell short when Dave Krynzel forgot to touch second base for the final out. Bowie did break through in the third however, as newcomer Jason White singled to left to start the inning. Jonathan Tucker then laid down a sac bunt to advance him to second, and Daniel Figueroa followed with an RBI single to right that skipped past Mickey Hall for a two-base error to tie the game at 1-1. Eric Crozier then delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Baysox the one-run advantage.

Bowie could not hold on for long as Beau Mills began the fourth with a single while Kyle Haines and Carlos Rivero followed with consecutive base knocks to tie the game back up at 2-2. Three batters later, Constanza added to his magnificent night with a clutch two-out single to score Haines and put the Aeros back in front. White would again start a rally for Bowie in the fifth on a single and Tucker repeated the action with another base hit before the red-hot Figueroa followed with a first pitch single to left to score White. Aeros starter Jeanmar Gomez got out of the jam with a pair of line outs and the score tied however, beginning a fine streak for the Akron pitchers.

The Aeros took the lead for good in the sixth and added an insurance run in the eighth, with walks playing a huge role in both innings. Cristo Arnal walked with one out in the sixth and Constanza collected his third hit of the night on a single to left. Matt McBride struck out for the second out, but Baysox All-Star reliever Chad Thall entered and walked Weglarz in a lefty-lefty match-up to load the bases. Thall then pulled ahead in the count 0-2 on Santana but missed on some borderline pitches and issued another walk, forcing in Arnal and putting Akron in front 4-3. The Aeros finished the scoring in the eighth, as Constanza walked on five pitches to start the inning and came home on an RBI single by Beau Mills.

Gomez (7-3) earned the win with his seventh quality start of the season (second on the team), permitting three runs (two earned) and seven hits over six innings while Bowie reliever James Hoey (2-3) took the loss in allowing the run in the sixth. Carlton Smith retired all six hitters he faced in the seventh and eighth frames for his fourth hold, and Josh Judy turned in a perfect ninth for his third save. Constanza finished 3-3 with a pair of walks to lead the offense, and is now batting .450 (9-20) with 13 walks in his past seven games. Weglarz drew his four walks in his final four plate appearances, while Haines was 2-4 and had his first multi-hit outing as a member of the Aeros.

Akron and Bowie conclude this four-game series at 1:35 p.m. Sunday, and the Akron/Canton Airport will be giving away two free airline tickets during the contest. Akron left-hander Michael Tejera (0-2, 9.31 ERA) will take the hill for the Aeros while Bowie has yet to announce their starter. The game broadcast begins at 1:20 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com. For more information, please call the Aeros at (330) 253-5151.

Check out the Akron RubberDucks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from July 18, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central