EL Akron RubberDucks

Squirrels' Big Flies Bury Ducks, 15-5

September 10, 2021 - Eastern League (EL)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


The Richmond Flying Squirrels hit four multi-run home runs on the way to a 15-5 victory over the Akron RubberDucks in the fourth game of a six-game series at The Diamond Thursday night. After splitting the first four games in Richmond, Akron has the best record in the Double-A Northeast, and its magic number to clinch a playoff berth is six.

Turning Point

After Richmond took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the first Flying Squirrels home run gave the home team a 4-0 edge in the second inning. Against left-hander Konnor Pilkington, second baseman Mitchell Tolman hit a leadoff triple to left field. Catcher Brandon Martorano walked, and center fielder Luis Basabe hit a three-run home run to left field. Akron never brought the tying run to plate after that point.

Mound Presence

Pilkington yielded the first four Richmond runs in the first two innings but struck out the side in the third inning, finishing his shortest start with Akron. He allowed three hits and four walks with five strikeouts. Left-hander Skylar Arias allowed the four batters he faced to reach, including a three-run homer by designated hitter Jacob Heyward. Right-hander Dakody Clemmer pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Left-hander Ben Krauth entered in the sixth and allowed a three-run home run to catcher Brandon Martorano, and he allowed a two-run homer to first baseman Frankie Tostado in the eighth inning, for three runs total in 2 1/3 innings.

Duck Tales

Akron scored a run in the third inning off Richmond right-hander Aaron Blair, with a walk, hit batter, two stolen bases and a groundout. Trailing 9-1 in the fifth, Akron rallied for three runs, with a two-run double by shortstop Brayan Rocchio that chased Blair and a run-scoring wild pitch. The last Akron run came in the seventh, as left fielder Will Brennan extended a seven-game hitting streak with a two-out single and later scored on an error.

Notebook

The 15 runs were a season high by an Akron opponent...RubberDucks lead Somerset (65-44) by 3.5 games and Bowie by four games for the league's best record...Akron leads the season series over Richmond, 7-3, with two games remaining...Ike Freeman's seven-game hitting streak ended with an 0-for-4 night...Game Time: 3:22...Attendance: 8,069.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their six-game series in Richmond at 6:05 p.m. EDT Saturday. Akron right-hander Thomas Ponticelli (6-5, 3.27 ERA) is scheduled to face Flying Squirrels right-hander Trenton Toplikar (2-6, 5.10 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.

Check out the Akron RubberDucks Statistics



Eastern League Stories from September 10, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central