EL1 Akron RubberDucks

Big Fly Downs RubberDucks

May 26, 2019 - Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


The Akron RubberDucks dropped the third of their four-game series against the visiting Richmond Flying Squirrels on Sunday night at Canal Park, as a two-run Richmond home run proved the difference in a 3-2 game.

Turning Point

Holding a 1-0 lead, the RubberDucks looked to be cruising through the top of the fifth after a pair of strikeouts from Sam Hentges to start the inning. However, a Brandon Van Horn double was followed by a two-run home run from Richmond left fielder Jacob Heyward. This would give the Flying Squirrels a lead they never relinquished as they held on for the 3-2 win.

Mound Presence

Left-hander Sam Hentges got the start for Akron and pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing just two earned runs. Both of those runs came with one swing of the bat in the seventh; after striking out the first two Richmond hitters of the inning, he allowed a double and then a two-run blast to right field from Richmond's Jacob Heyward. He pitched into the seventh, relieved by Ben Krauth with two outs in the innings. Krauth gave up an insurance run to the Squirrels in the eighth, while Dalbert Siri pitched a scoreless ninth.

Duck Tales

After Akron went down in order in the first, Ka'ai Tom put the RubberDucks on the board with a solo home run to right for his second in as many games. The RubberDucks would be silent until the eighth when Logan Ice singled and Ernie Clement walked to put runners on first and second with no one out. Mitch Longo hit a ground ball to second, but an error on the double play attempt allowed Ice to score and trim the deficit to 3-2. Wilson Garcia would lead off the ninth with a hit as the potential tying run, but Akron would be unable to score.

Notebook

Indians outfielder Tyler Naquin got a rehab start in right field, playing five innings and going 0-2 with a flyout and groundout ... This is the second time this season that Ka'ai Tom has hit home runs in back-to-back contests, having hit two roundtrippers at Reading on May 11 and hitting another the following game against Bowie; Daniel Johnson and Wilson Garcia are the only other Ducks to accomplish the feat in 2019 ... Sam Hentges continued his strong May with Sunday's start, as his ERA in the month sits at 2.09, down from 8.02 in April ... Time of game: 2:44 ... Attendance: 5,830

On the Pond

The Ducks and Squirrels will close the series Monday with a 1:05 p.m. Memorial Day start time. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeartRadio channel, and the TuneIn Radio App, and available on MiLB.TV. RHP Eli Morgan (1-0, 1.59) will take the ball for the RubberDucks while LHP Garrett Williams (1-3, 4.76) will get the start for Richmond.

Check out the Akron RubberDucks Statistics



Eastern League Stories from May 26, 2019


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