Ducks Fall, 5-4, in Portland, Lose First-Half Race with Erie

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EL Akron RubberDucks

Ducks Fall, 5-4, in Portland, Lose First-Half Race with Erie

June 21, 2025 - Eastern League (EL)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


RubberDucks first baseman Jorge Burgos hit his team-high 10th home run to try to help his club erase a 5-0 deficit, but the Portland Sea Dogs held on for a 5-4 victory in the fifth game of a six-game series at Delta Dental Park Saturday night. With the Erie SeaWolves (45-23) winning over Chesapeake to secure the Southwest Division first half, Akron was eliminated from the race, which saw Erie and Akron within 2.5 games of each other and first place for the entire half.

Turning Point

In the bottom of the second inning, Portland left fielder Zach Ehrhard hit a leadoff single and stole second base. Right-hander Zach Jacobs walked second baseman Max Ferguson and hit third baseman Ahbram Liendo with a two-out pitch. On a 3-2 pitch, designated hitter Mikey Romero hit a grand slam to center field for a 4-0 Sea Dogs lead.

Mound Presence

In his second start of the road trip and season, Jacobs also allowed a third-inning leadoff homer to center fielder Allan Castro to make it 5-0. With one out, right-hander Jake Miller entered and retired eight straight batters in 2 2/3 perfect innings. Left-hander Steven Pérez worked two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Right-hander Zane Morehouse pitched a scoreless eighth inning, capping 5 2/3 scoreless relief innings to give Akron a chance to rally.

Duck Tales

Trailing, 5-0, with two outs in the sixth inning against left-hander Dalton Rogers, Akron third baseman Dayan Frías walked, and left fielder Joe Lampe doubled to right-center field to chase Rogers. Left-hander Jeremy Wu-Yelland entered, and Burgos drilled an estimated 448-foot homer to right-center field to cut the deficit to 5-3. In the eighth, designated hitter Kahlil Watson hit a triple to left-center field, and an errant relay throw by shortstop Marvin Alcantara into the Sea Dogs dugout allowed Watson to score to make it 5-4. Lampe was stranded after his two-out single and Akron went in order in the ninth inning.

Notebook

Erie clinched its third straight Eastern League Southwest Division first-half title and fourth straight postseason berth. To earn a rematch of the 2024 Southwest Division Series in September, Akron will need a better second-half record than the other four Southwest Division clubs. The 69-game second half begins Tuesday...Catcher Cooper Ingle 's seven-game hitting streak ended...Game Time: 2:27...Attendance: 6,868.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks conclude their series and the first half in Portland at 1 p.m. Sunday at Delta Dental Park. Akron right-hander Dylan DeLucia (2-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to face Sea Dogs right-hander David Sandlin (3-3, 4.33 ERA). The game broadcast is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, with ballpark video on Bally Live and the MLB app. Tickets for RubberDucks home games are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.

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Eastern League Stories from June 21, 2025


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