AKRON, OH — Canal Park

Welcome to Akron baseball — where Wednesday night’s ballgame featured a funnel cloud looming just beyond the outfield wall, and Thursday’s game brought sunshine that blew in 70 degree temps into Canal Park.

The Akron RubberDucks were facing the Erie SeaWolves for their third game in a best-of-six series, with each team having already claimed a win by shutout.

25-year-old Tommy Mace toed the rubber for Akron, coming in with an ERA of 1.80 and 0.80 WHIP through 10 innings. Mace had allowed just five hits and two runs while striking out eight in his first two starts, but found himself in a tough spot with tonight’s matchup.

The Ducks were on the scoreboard first, plating one run in the third that started with a two-out single by Chase DeLauter. DeLauter would put himself in scoring position with a steal, which allowed Aaron Bracho to bring him home on an RBI-single to right. Akron would tack on another run to take a 2-0 lead via a solo homerun from Christian Cairo in the fourth.

Mace had held the SeaWolves off, but got himself into trouble in the fifth, which started with a throwing error by Ducks’ shortstop Milan Tolentino. With one out, Erie hit back-to-back singles to load up the bases, and Mace walked in the next two batters, tying the game at two apiece.

Mace finished the night with a line of 4.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks.

Akron made the call to the bullpen and Lenny Torres Jr. stepped in and immediately hit the first batter he faced and then walked the next — giving Erie the 4-2 advantage.  

A sac-fly be SeaWolves’ Chris Meyers would be the last run they scored in the frame, completing the five-run rally that put the RubberDucks in the rearview with a 5-2 lead.

Akron would add just one more run on the night when Kahlil Watson hit one over the right field fence in the seventh to keep the Ducks within striking distance at 5-3.

Erik Sabrowski, who replaced Torres Jr. at the top of the seventh, came back to pitch the eighth. With one out, the SeaWolves scored after three batters reached on a single-error-single, giving them the 6-3 lead. 

Tyler Thorton would replace Sabrowski with two down, and allowed one run to score on a balk, and two more singles would put Erie up 9-3.

The RubberDucks finished with 8 LOB, and a team RISP of 1-for-5. DeLauter led the team with two of their seven hits, and had the only stolen base of the night.

The two teams will meet again under the Friday night lights with LHP Rodney Boone (1-0, 4.15 ERA) throwing for the RubberDucks vs Erie’s RHP Jackson Jobe (0-1, 3.18 ERA). 

@AdrienneGoehler for the We Like Sportz Show, part of the Sideline Sports Network

By Adrienne Goehler

Photo courtesy of the Adrienne Goehler