RubberDucks Take Series Finale in Ten Innings against High Powered Baysox, 3-2
June 20, 2021 - Eastern League (EL)
Akron RubberDucks News Release
In a series filled with top prospects from both organizations, Sunday's finale lived up to expectations as Thomas Ponticelli turned in a masterful performance for the RubberDucks as they defeated the Bowie Baysox 3-2 in 10 innings to clinch the series victory.
Turning Point
Following a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth from Baysox third baseman Patrick Dorrian, in the top of the tenth Mike Rivera drove a ball to deep right field for a sacrifice fly, which scored Josh Rolette despite a strong throw from Doran Turchin, giving the RubberDucks the only run they needed in extras to claim the 3-2 win.
Mound Presence
It was the Thomas Ponticelli show for the Akron RubberDucks on Sunday afternoon. Over seven innings of work, the Ducks' righthander struck out eight Bowie batters while only allowing two hits and one walk on 86 pitches. Ponticelli easily surpassed his prior longest outing when he earned the win on June 4, dealing five innings of five-hit ball in game two of the doubleheader against the Erie SeaWolves. Jake Miednik would take over in relief for the eighth inning and worked a scoreless frame despite one hit. The Ducks bullpen could not hold the lead in the bottom of the ninth as Adley Rutschmann led off the inning with a walk followed by Dorrian's two-run blast to tie the game and send it to extras. RubberDucks closer Nick Mikolajchak would enter for the last half of the tenth with the 3-2 lead and slammed the door shut for his fifth save of the season.
Duck Tales
The RubberDucks offense faced a tall task as they took on Bowie's top prospects and battery tandem, Grayson Rodriguez and Adley Rutschmann, but the Ducks made the most of their five hits on the day. IN the top of the third inning, Jonathan Engelmann barreled a fastball to dead center field, bouncing off the wall and away from the outfielders long enough for the Ducks' DH to score on an inside-the-park home run. Engelmann's first home run gave Akron a 1-0 lead after three frames. In the top of the fifth, Andruw Monasterio would double the RubberDucks lead 2-0 with a no-doubt-about-it homer way beyond the wall in right field. Bowie would keep the Akron bats quiet until the tenth inning when Mike Rivera hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track near the right field foul pole, scoring Josh Rolette for the eventual run, 3-2.
Notebook
Sunday's series finale marked the third consecutive RubberDucks game to go into extra innings, totaling 34 innings over three days ... Thomas Ponticelli lowers his ERA from 3.31 to 2.81 after seven innings of scoreless work against the best offense in the Double-A Northeast ... Andruw Monasterio's home run now matches his 2019 total for dingers which he hit over over 70 Double-A games ... Time: 2:49 ... Attendance: 5,182
On the Pond
The RubberDucks will return to Akron Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. as they begin a homestand consisting of 13 games in 13 days, as Union Home Mortgage welcomes fans back home to Canal Park. Pitching matchups to be announced later. 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.
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