Three Innings from Smith, Three Hits from Lavastida and Rodriguez, 10 Punch Outs from Williams Help Akron to 8-4 Win Over Altoona
September 2, 2022 - Eastern League (EL)
Akron RubberDucks News Release
Summary
Gavin Williams fans 10 while Bryan Lavastida and Jonathan Rodriguez each collect three hits to lead the Akron RubberDucks to the 8-4 victory over the Altoona Curve on Friday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
Turning Point
After Altoona came storming back with three in the fourth to trim the Akron lead to 5-4, the RubberDucks looked for some breathing room late. Julian Escobedo doubled to open the inning before Jose Tena traded places with him after a double of his own to stretch the lead to 6-4 Akron. Tena scored later in the inning on a wild pitch to make it 7-4 RubberDucks.
Mound Presence
Gavin Williams got the start for Akron and looked sharp. The right-hander allowed a solo home run in the first and three runs in the fourth but allowed just one other baserunner the rest of the night. In total, Williams tossed six innings allowing four runs while striking out 10. Cade Smith followed and was brilliant allowing just two hits over the final three innings while punching out four to earn the save.
Duck Tales
As they have all series, the RubberDucks scored in the first inning. Micah Pries singled home Bryan Lavastida to make it 1-0 Akron before advancing to second on the throw. Akron got the lead back in the second inning when Escobedo lined a sac-fly to right to score Jonathan Rodriguez and make it 2-1 Akron. In the third inning, the RubberDucks struck twice when Rodriquez and Chris Roller each worked walks with the bases loaded to make it 4-1 Ducks. Akron capped its early barrage in the fourth when Angel Martinez brought home Lavastida with a sac-fly to make it 5-1 Ducks.
In the ninth inning, Rodriguez added a little more insurance when singled home Raynel Delgado to make it 8-4 Akron.
Notebook
Williams' 10 punch outs are the most since his promotion to Akron on June 6...Noel extended his hitting streak to 12 games and his on-base streak to 20 games...Smith tossed three innings for the first time since 8/14 with Lynchburg...Game Time: 2:37...Attendance: 3,575.
On the Pond
The RubberDucks will continue their series with the Altoona Curve on Saturday, September 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Lefty Doug Nikhazy (High-A: 4-4, 3.19 ERA) will take the mound for the first time for Akron against Altoona right-hander Quinn Priester (2-3, 2.45 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 all RubberDucks home games, are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.
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