The Toronto farm wins one of three on the eve of an infusion of fresh talent.
The Tides swamped Dustin McGowan for 5 runs in the first inning, and the SkyChiefs battled back but couldn’t overcome the deficit. McGowan went 3 innings in total, charged with 6 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Jordan De Jong, Ben Weber, and Ryan Houston provided 5 innings of relief, Weber touched for a run.
SS Sergio Santos, LF Rob Cosby, and 3B Danny Solano enjoyed 2 hit nights. Russ Adams had a double in 5 trips and an uneventful night at second base. Chad Mottola threw out two baserunners from right field.
New Hampshire: Scheduled off day.
Lefty Eric Fowler served a tater to the first hitter he faced, but it wasn’t a sign of how his night would go as he ended up turning in 7 innings of high quality. He surrendered just 4 hits and 1 walk while punching out 7 Reds, charged with 2 runs. Justin James finished up with 2 innings marked by just 1 hit, striking out 3.
SS Ryan Klosterman and CF Dustin Majewski each went deep for Dunedin, while DH Aaron Mathews and RF Eric Nielsen collected 2 hits apiece. LF Ryan Patterson had a double in 4 trips.
In contrast to the Dunedin Blue Jays, the Lansing Lugnuts started off well and things got worse from there. 2B Anthony Hatch hit a home run as the second batter of the game, but from there on out the Lugnut offence would amount to just three singles and a walk. Meanwhile, the Silver Hawks put up a 3-spot at the expense of Chi-Hung Cheng in the bottom of the 4th for all the runs they would need.
Cheng night totaled 6 hits and 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings, 4 K, 2 BB. Billy Carnline recorded the final 8 outs, allowing a solo homer among 3 hits while walking 2 and whiffing 1.
Hatch was the only Lugnut hitter of note, adding a walk to his homer and showing off his versatility by shifting from the keystone to the hot corner in the 8th. Brian Pettway had a single and 3 strikeouts for his 4 plate appearances.
Three Star Selection!
The Third Star: Danny Solano, Syracuse. 2 hits for 3 bases.
The Second Star: Anthony Hatch, Lansing. A dinger and a base on balls.
The First Star: Eric Fowler, Dunedin. 7 innings, 5 baserunners, 7 punched out.