Ducks Win First-Place Showdown in Somerset, 5-3 in 10 Innings

August 25, 2021 - Eastern League (EL)
Akron RubberDucks News Release

RubberDucks left-hander Logan Allen matched a season high with nine strikeouts in his longest career outing - 6 2/3 innings - and after losing the lead in the ninth inning, Akron rallied in the 10th to earn a 5-3 victory over the Somerset Patriots in the second game of a six-game series between first-place teams at TD Bank Ballpark Wednesday night. Akron leads Bowie by 2.5 games, Somerset by three, and Portland by four for the best record in the Double-A Northeast.

Turning Point

In a 3-3 tie, Akron shortstop Brayan Rocchio hit a 10th-inning leadoff single that put runners at first and third bases against Patriots right-hander Zach Greene. Center fielder Steven Kwan hit a fly ball to shallow left-center field, where left fielder Thomas Milone trapped the ball and turned it into a fielder's choice at second base, but right fielder Will Brennan scored from third base for a 4-3 Akron lead. Greene's errant pickoff throw sent Kwan to third base, and left fielder George Valera lined an RBI single to right field to make it 5-3.

Mound Presence

Allen took the mound with a 2-0 lead in the first inning and allowed single runs in the second and fourth innings. He departed with a 3-2 lead after recording two outs in the seventh, when left-hander Jake Miednik entered to record the final out and followed with a scoreless eighth inning. Right-hander Nick Mikolajchak allowed a ninth-inning, one-out, game-tying home run to Somerset catcher Josh Breaux, but held Somerset scoreless in the 10th to secure the win.

Duck Tales

Akron took a 2-0 first-inning lead for the second straight game. Brennan hit a leadoff single against Somerset left-hander Ken Waldichuk, and Rocchio drilled a two-run home run to left field - his fifth with Akron and first batting right-handed. The RubberDucks also broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning, when right-hander Sean Boyle hit Kwan with a pitch, and Valera hit a single to right field, where an error by Isiah Gilliam allowed Kwan to score.

Notebook

Valera has three hits and two RBIs in his first two Double-A games...Allen struck out nine batters for the first time with Akron after doing so twice for High-A Lake County...Brennan has a four-game hitting streak and 11-game on-base streak...Akron is 7-5 in extra-inning games, including 6-2 on the road...Game Time: 3:19... Attendance: 3,551.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their six-game series in Somerset at 7:05 p.m. EDT Thursday. Akron right-hander Peyton Battenfield (1-0, 2.25 ERA) is scheduled to face Patriots right-hander Luis Medina (3-3, 4.73 ERA). The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for RubberDucks home games are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.

Eastern League Stories from August 25, 2021

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