EL1 Akron RubberDucks

DeMasi Perseveres in RubberDucks' Victory

Published on May 25, 2018 under Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


Akron's Willi Castro drove in five runs on four hits, and Dominic DeMasi overcame a rough start and retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced, as the RubberDucks torched the Richmond Flying Squirrels, 14-6, Friday night at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio.

Turning Point

The RubberDucks (29-19) scored six times in the fourth inning to break a 6-6 tie and assume a 12-6 lead. Joe Sever cracked an RBI double off Garrett Williams (1-4) to give the Ducks the lead. Mark Mathias added an RBI single to drive in Sever to make it 8-6, and Castro followed with a two-run double to left to to extend the lead to 10-6 and knock Williams out of the game. Sam Haggerty capped the scoring with a run-scoring single to right field that was misplayed by Luigi Rodriguez allowing two runs to score and hand the RubberDucks a 12-6 advantage.

Mound Presence

It was the worst of times and best of times for Akron starter Dominic DeMasi (4-1). The right-hander was rocked early, allowing four runs in the first inning and two more in the second on a two-run homer by Jerry Sands to fall behind 6-0. After that, however, the switch flipped and DeMasi went on an impressive run, retiring 16 consecutive hitters and 17 of the final 18 Squirrels he faced. He worked 6.2 innings and fanned six.

Duck Tales

Castro was instrumental in the comeback from 6-0. He ripped an RBI single in the second and clubbed a two-run double in the third that closed the gap to 6-5. He finished with four this when he collected his third double of the night in the eighth inning. His five RBI matches the team's single-game high this season.

Notebook

The RubberDucks have won five in a row and improved to 14-7 at home...Indians outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer appeared for the Ducks on minor league rehab assignments...Chisenhall was 1-2, with a two-run double in the second inning, and two walks...Guyer was 0-4...Bradley Zimmer is expected to join the team on a rehab assignment Saturday...Akron is now 10 games over .500, a season-high, and now hold a four-game lead over Richmond (23-21) in the El West...Time of game: 2:44... Attendance: 5,754.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks and Flying Squirrels will continue the series on Saturday night at 6:35. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App.

Check out the Akron RubberDucks Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from May 25, 2018


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