Bieber Fever Continues as RubberDucks Chill Altoona Bats 2-0
April 17, 2018 - Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release
Akron's Shane Bieber dealt seven innings of shutout baseball, allowing just four hits and striking out six, as the RubberDucks slipped by the Altoona Curve, 2-0, Tuesday night at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio.
Turning Point
The RubberDucks (6-5) took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning against Altoona lefty Taylor Hearn. Sicnarf Loopstok led off with a single to center. The next hitter, Mark Mathias, blasted an RBI double to the left-center field alley to chase home the game's first run. It was Mathias's fourth RBI of the season.
Mound Presence
Bieber (2-0) was masterful for his seven innings of work. Of the right-hander's 86 pitches, a mind-blowing 69 were strikes. The reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week scattered four hits and struck out six batters. Bieber has now worked 20 consecutive scoreless innings to start the season and has not issued a single walk. Mitch Brown took over for Bieber in the eighth and worked the final two innings to complete the whitewash and earn his second save.
Duck Tales
The Ducks added an insurance run in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly by Ka'ai Tom off Curve righty Bret Helton.
Notebook
It was the second straight win for the RubberDucks, who have allowed just one run on 10 hits in the series so far...Hearn (0-1) absorbed the loss for Altoona despite allowing just one run over six innings...Akron pitching twirled its second shutout effort of the season...Game-time temperature was 33 degrees...Time of game: 2:20...Attendance: 1,523.
On the Pond
The RubberDucks and Curve will play again on Wednesday evening at 6:35. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App.
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