Tigers Prospect Daily: Home runs power the Flying Tigers to a comeback win

Buffalo Bisons 12, Toledo Mud Hens, 4 (box)

In front of 10,300 fans packing Fifth Third Field, Kyle Ryan (0-5, 4.67 ERA) rebounded from a disastrous four-run third inning to pitch through the seventh, striking out six and allowing the Mudhens to tie the game at 4-4 before the bullpen was rocked for 8 runs and the loss. The Mudhens couldn't get much going against Bisons' starter Miguel Castro (0-1, 1.74 ERA). Jefry Marte drove in Dixon Machado in the first inning, but the offense struck out six times against Castro before he departed after five innings. They tied the game in the sixth with a solo shot from Steven Moya, followed by RBI hits from Jordan Lennerton and Corey Jones. Jose Valdez surrendered a pair of runs in the eighth inning to take the loss, while Rafael Dolis was rocked for five more runs in the ninth inning as the Bisons blew the game wide open.

Machado: 1-5, R, 2 SO

Fields: 0-5, 3 SO

Moya: 1-4, HR, R, RBI, 2 SO

Lennerton: 2-3, 2B, BB, R, RBI

Ryan: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 6 SO, BB

Valdez: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, SO

Dolis: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, BB

Coming Up Next: Buffalo (23-20) and Toledo (17-25) wrap up a four-game set at Fifth Third Field on Sunday. Toledo has yet to announce a starter to face Buffalo's Felix Doubront (0-0, 0.00 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:00pm ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 7, Bradenton Marauders 6 (box)

Flying Tigers starter Kevin Ziomek (4-3, 4.36 ERA) stumbled badly on Saturday at Joker Marchant Stadium, surrendering six earned runs in just 4.2 innings. The offense picked him up late with a run in the sixth, and then a three-run seventh powered by a two-run home run from Raph Rhymes to come from behind for the victory. Catcher Grayson Greiner launched a two-run shot in the fourth inning, and added another RBI single for a three-RBI day and also threw out Marauders' catcher Reese McGuire attempting to steal second-base. Relievers Julio Felix (3-0, 3.79 ERA)and Paul Voelker (4-0, 1.29 ERA), combined for 4.1 scoreless innings to collect the win and save respectively. Voelker, who started the year with the West Michigan Whitecaps, now has four wins and four saves total and has racked up 31 strikeouts to just 5 walks in 23 innings of work on the year.

Rhymes: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Greiner: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R

Ziomek: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, HR, 5 SO, BB

Coming Up Next: Lakeland and Bradenton wrap up a four-game set on Sunday at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, FL. Flying Tigers' starter Jonathan Maciel (2-3, 5.53 ERA) takes on Steven Brault (2-0, 3.93 ERA) at 1:00pm ET.

Erie Seawolves 6, Trenton Thunder 5 (box)

The Seawolves' got to Thunder's starter Miguel Sulbaran (3-2, 3.70 ERA) for six runs while Josh Turley (4-2, 2.89 ERA) threw six strong innings, allowing three runs, but only one of them earned, for the win on Saturday. The Seawolves' were powered by hot-hitting  Wynton Bernard who doubled and scored twice. The big blows came on home runs from Connor Harrell and Wade Gaynor. Reliever Lara Confesor surrendered a pair of runs to the Thunder in the eighth inning, but Jeff Farrell came on to shut the door, striking out the side in the ninth for his fourth save of the year.

Bernard: 2-4, 2B, 2 R

Harrell: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, SO

Gaynor: 2-3, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB

Turley: 6.0 IP, 6 H, ER, 3 SO

Farrell: 1.0 IP, 3 SO

Coming Up Next: Erie meets up with Trenton in the third game of a four-game home series Sunday at 1:35pm ET from Jerry Uht Park in Erie, PA. The starters for this game have not yet been announced.

Dayton Dragons 14, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box)

On a gorgeous, sunny day in Grand Rapids, the Dayton Dragons ravaged the Whitecaps on Saturday at Fifth Third Park. The Dragons burned Whitecaps' starter Ross Seaton (5.2-4.30 ERA) for three runs in the fourth before erupting in a 10-run fifth inning to put the game away. It was the first start this year where Seaton failed to go at least six innings, instead he left after 4.1 innings with nine earned runs to his name. Reliever Josh Heddinger came on in the fifth and was treated just as roughly by the Dragons' offense, lighting him up as well for five earned runs in just 1.2 innings of work. Together, the two Whitecaps' pitchers were tagged for 14 hits and 14 earned runs, without giving up a single home run in the process. Instead thirteen singles and six walks accounted for most of the damage. Tyler Ford came on and quieted the exhausted Dragons' bats with three innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit. Derek Hill had a pair of hits and scored the lone run for the Whitecaps, scoring on a two-out RBI double by  Will Kengor to avoid the shutout.

Hill: 2-4, R

Kengor: 2-4, 2B, RBI

Seaton: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 9 ER, 2 SO, 3 BB

Heddinger: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps will welcome in the Dragons for the third of a four-game Memorial Day weekend set with the series knotted at 1-1. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm ET as the Whitecaps' Jeff Thompson (1-4, 5.29 ERA) will have his work cut out for him, taking on Dragons' starter Wyatt Strahan (4-2, 2.27 ERA).