Tigers' 1st round pick Christin Stewart solid in West Michigan debut

Bradenton Marauders 11, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2

The Flying Tigers (39-49) had dropped four consecutive outings coming into Wednesday's contest against Bradenton (44-46) and, much to their dismay, the tides refused to turn in their favor once again. Trent Szkutnik (0-3, 6.37 ERA) took the mound for the Flying Tigers and it didn't take long for Bradenton to smell blood in the water. Szkutnik was tagged for seven hits, allowing six earned runs over his three innings of work for Lakeland. The struggle stretched to the plate for the Flying Tigers, with a total of five hits in their 30 trips to the plate. Jiwan James was able to produce some action for the Flying Tigers, delivering a pair of hits, along with a double and a pair of runs. Raph Rhymes joined in with a double of his own, as well as an additional pair of hits combining with James for four of the five Lakeland hits for the night. Four Lakeland errors alongside the 17 hits produced by Bradenton overall sealed the fifth straight loss for the Flying Tigers, dropping Szkutnik to his third loss.

James: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 SO
Rhymes: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Schotts: 1-3, 2 SO
Verlander: 0-4, 3 SO
Szkutnik (L): 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB

COMING UP NEXT: Lakeland returns to McKechnie Field on Thursday for game two of their four-game road series with Bradenton. Lakeland's Brennan Smith (4-1, 2.02 ERA) will get the start against the Marauder' Clay Holmes (1-0, 2.03 ERA) for the 6:30 tip time.

West Michigan Whitecaps 2, Dayton Dragons 1

A victory always runs a little sweeter when the hero has the reputation of speaking softly, but always finding a way to come through in the clutch. West Michigan (45-43) welcomed Dayton (49-41) to Fifth Third Ballpark on Wednesday to kick off a three-game home stand behind the always steady Whitecaps pitching point man Ross Seaton (9-3, 3.54 ERA). Seaton continued his valuable contribution to West Michigan, working seven solid innings and holding Dayton to a single run while he controlled the hill for the Whitecaps.

A few new faces graced the West Michigan dugout, including Tigers' first round selection Christin Stewart. Stewart submitted a debut to be proud of, posting a pair of hits in his three plate appearances, including an RBI. Fourth round selection Kade Scivicque (say it with me, Sa-vik) also made an appearance for West Michigan behind the plate. The icing on the cake came for West Michigan courtesy of an RBI single that couldn't have been prettier from Will Kengor and was just enough to give Joey Pankake time to careen safely across the plate to give the Whitecaps the walk off victory.

Gerber: 2-4, 2 SO
Stewart: 2-3, RBI
Kengor: 1-3, RBI, SO
Kivett: 0-3, R
Seaton: 7.0 IP, 2 H, R, BB, 4 SO
Smith (W) 2.0 IP, SO

COMING UP NEXT: The battle continues between West Michigan and Dayton on Thursday, pitting Whitecaps' Artie Lewicki (1-3, 4.55 ERA) against the Dragons' Jake Paulson (2-2, 2.48 ERA) for game two of their three-game series at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Lowell Spinners 7, Connecticut Tigers 4

It was an even matchup at the plate as the Lowell Spinners (15-10) faced off against Spenser Watkins (2-2, 1.89 ERA) and the Connecticut Tigers (11-13) on Wednesday evening. The two programs matched pace at 10 hits apiece with Victor Padron setting the bar for the Tigers, hitting in all three of his plate appearances, combined with a pair of hits from both Will Allen and Brett Pirtle. Spenser Watkins lasted roughly four innings for Connecticut, allowing three earned runs off six hits and striking out five for the Tigers. A pair of strong innings for the Spinners set a tone that Connecticut just couldn't match and Watkins was handed his second loss for Connecticut. The Tigers fall to 11-13, sitting in third place in the New York-Penn League.

Padron: 3-3, R, 2 BB
Pirtle: 2-5, R, SO
Allen: 2-4, RBI, BB, SO
Simcox: 2-5, RBI
Watkins (L): 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 5 SO

COMING UP NEXT: Lowell and Connecticut return to action on Thursday evening for game two of their three-game series.

The Erie Seawolves and the Toledo Mud Hens were off from regular action on Wednesday to make way for the International and Eastern League All-Star events that took place. The International League roster boasted a trio of Mud Hens' former and current finest in Buck Farmer, Dixon Machado and Jefry Marte. Regular season roster changes for Toledo produced Machado as the lone Toledo starter and he finished the night with a hit in the International League victory.

The Eastern League welcomed Josh Turley, Tommy Collier, Dean Green and Wynton Bernard in to represent the Erie Seawolves in the All-Star activities on the Team West roster. The game allowed action for all four, including Green to have an opportunity to participate in a sudden death home run derby at the close of the night to work as a tie-breaker for the four runs produced from both dugouts. Brian Pointer of the Reading Fightin' Phils was the first to clear the wall in the six-player shoot out, giving the East a 5-4 victory over the West.