AKRON, Ohio—The Akron RubberDucks suffered their first defeat in their six-game series with the Harrisburg Senators on Saturday. Akron could not hold on to its 3-0 lead and conceded seven runs in the ninth inning.
Pitchers setting the tone
Tanner Burns took the pitching mound to start the game for Akron. He finished the top of the first inning with two strikeouts and a heads-up play. Burns caught Senator runner John Nogowski sneaking towards second base.
He tossed the ball over to Daniel Schneemann and gave Akron its third out of the frame.
But Harrisburg starting pitcher Franklyn Kilome wasn’t fazed by Burns’ solid start.
In the first inning, Kilome also finished with two strikeouts and the two teams went to their dugouts with no score.
Rodriguez strikes first
It was the bottom of the second inning. With Raynel Delgado and Jhonkensy Noel on base for the RubberDucks, Eric Rodríguez stepped up to the plate.
He struck a ground ball towards left field that coasted past the home team’s dugout. It allowed his teammates to cross home plate. Rodriguez himself retrieved to second base.
Akron ended the inning with a 2-0 lead.
RubberDucks keep on “Rolling”
Akron outfielder Chris Roller was the first batter of the third inning. His very first hit was a blast to left field that flew out of Canal Park.
Roller jogged along the diamond and eventually glided past home plate. After three innings of play, the RubberDucks secured a commanding 3-0 lead.
Oviedo steps in
Luis Oviedo replaced Tanner Burns in the fifth inning. He picked where Burns left off, conceding no runs in his first four innings of action.
He finished the game with four strikeouts.
A collapse like no other
RubberDucks Manager Rouglas Odor sent in Cade Smith in the ninth inning. The intentions were for Smith to close out the game and make Akron’s 3-0 lead official.
But that was not the case.
Smith committed four errors in the frame and allowed Harrisburg’s Andrew Young to walk. That led to Jack Dunn getting the Senators on the scoreboard.
Odor tried to stop the bleeding by replacing Smith with 25-year-old Kyle Marman. But he was unable to stop Harrisburg’s offensive explosion.
Marman had a wild pitch that allowed Senator infielder Jake Alu to run from third base to home. Harrisburg’s Justin Connel then hit a ground ball to left field, giving his teammate Jecksson Flores the opportunity to cross home plate.
Just like that, the game was tied 3-3. Fans at Canal Park were stunned.
Despite the struggles, Odor kept Marman in. Gilbert Lara stepped up to the plate for Harrisburg. With the bases loaded, Lara could give the Senators their first lead of the game. He did just that.
Lara smashed a grand slam into center field, sending him and his four teammates past home plate. After it looked like they were in for, Harrisburg had a commanding 7-3 lead.
The RubberDucks still had a chance to mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. But Harrisburg pitcher Zach Brzykcy made sure there was none of that.
Brzykcy finished the frame with two strikeouts and the Senators left Canal Park with a 7-3 victory
Burns reflects on the loss
Although the loss was certainly a stinger, Akron pitcher Tanner Burns believes it is one the team can move forward from.
“We’re human. We’re all going to make mistakes,” Burns said after Saturday’s game. “(Marman) and Cade (Smith) are really good pitchers. It just wasn’t their night tonight. But it’s okay because we get to play nine innings tomorrow.”
In four innings of play, Burns finished with five strikeouts and allowed just two walks.
Upcoming schedule
With the loss, Akron falls to a record of 40-28. They are one game in front of the Richmond Flying Squirrels for first place in the Eastern League Southwest standings.
There is one more matchup scheduled between the RubberDucks and Senators. It will be on Sunday afternoon.
East Carolina University alumnus Gavin Williams will take the mound for Akron. First pitch from Canal Park is set for 2:05 p.m. EST.
