EL Akron RubberDucks

RubberDucks Kick off 13-Game Homestand with 3-0 Victory over Erie SeaWolves Tuesday Night

Published on June 22, 2021 under Eastern League (EL)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


The Akron RubberDucks took the series opener against the Erie SeaWolves, 3-0, behind a strong six inning outing from Juan Hillman and a timely fifth inning RBI triple Will Benson as Union Home Mortgage welcomed RubberDucks fans back home to Canal Park on Tuesday night.

Turning Point

In the bottom of the fifth, the RubberDucks finally broke the scoreless tie when Will Benson smacked an RBI triple to the First Energy Power Alley in left field to plate Jonathan Engelmann for the first run of the game. Benson would come home to score one batter later when Tyler Freeman lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield, double the Akron advantage to 2-0 in the home half of the fifth.

Mound Presence

Juan Hillman once again got the start for Akron and rolled through the Erie lineup, striking out three of the first seven batters he faced. In total, Hillman would scatter six hits over six scoreless innings, while striking out five SeaWolves. Manuel Alvarez and Skylar Arias picked up right where Hillman left off as the two RubberDucks relievers combined for three innings of scoreless work, issuing only one free pass over the three frames. With closer Francisco Perez recently promoted to Triple-A Columbus, Manuel Alvarez notched his first save in an Akron uniform to preserve the 3-0 lead.

Duck Tales

Alex Call's speed and aggressiveness on the basepaths paid off again as he scored an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when he stole third base and immediately scored on a throwing error by the catcher to make it 3-0 Akron. Oscar Gonzalez single in the fourth inning extended his season-long hitting streak to seven games. Fresh off Sunday's inside-the-park home run in Bowie, Jonathan Engelmann collected his first base hit at the friendly confines of Canal Park. Bo Naylor led the team with two hits. Despite collecting eight hits Tuesday night, the RubberDucks left seven runners stranded on base and were 0-for-7 with RISP.

Notebook

Juan Hillman's win gives him the lead in wins (5) in the Double-A Northeast, and it was his seventh consecutive start where he lasted through at least five innings ... Will Benson's triple was his fourth of the season, which ties him for the lead in Double-A Northeast ... Time: 2:17 ... Attendance: 3,162.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks will continue the series with the Erie SeaWolves on Wednesday, June 23 for a traditional double header with the first game starting at 5:00 p.m. and the second game starting 30 minutes afterwards. The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and the TuneIn Radio App, and available on MiLB.TV. Tanner Tully (1-3, 5.18 ERA) and Zach Draper (0-1, 6.75 ERA) will take the mound for Akron against Erie starters Elvin Rodriguez (2-0, 3.52 ERA) and TBA.

Check out the Akron RubberDucks Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from June 22, 2021


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