West Michigan Whitecaps come up short in 13-inning loss

Toledo Mud Hens 7, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 6 (box)

In a four-game "food fight" of epic breakfast proportions, Toledo (43-56) looked to even the score in the finale with Lehigh Valley (44-55) after dropping two of the previous three contests. Buck Farmer (7-3, 4.13 ERA) held the hill for the Mud Hens with four strikeouts, allowing three earned runs off six hits, including a solo shot to Arthur Altherr in the sixth inning. Manny Pina and Tyler Collins lead the offense for Toledo, combining for five of the 11 hits overall. Josh Zeid (2-2, 4.53 ERA) provided three strikeouts in his inning of relief, and Guido Knudson (0-0, 3.12 ERA) closed the door for the Mud Hens, earning his sixth save this season for Toledo.

Pina: 3-4, R, 2B, 4 RBI
Collins: 2-4, 2 R, RBI
Green, D: 1-3, R, BB
Hessman: 1-5, R, SO
Farmer: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Zeid (W): 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO

COMING UP NEXT: Toledo lefty Mike Belfiore (4-8, 5.09 ERA) gets the call for the Mud Hens as they make the trip to take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for a three-game weekend stretch before returning to Fifth Third Field to host Rochester.

Richmond Flying Squirrels 4, Erie SeaWolves 3 (box)

Hungry to break out of a frustrating streak this season, SeaWolves (37-60) pitcher Chad Green (2-14, 4.99 ERA) looked to strong arm Richmond (52-45) in the start of a four-game series at Jerry Uht Park. Green was tagged for three earned runs off 10 hits and four strikeouts against the Flying Squirrels. The SeaWolves bats were quieter than normal, posting only six hits in 32 trips to the plate. Tony Thomas notched a pair of hits and added two RBI towards the Seawolves three runs for the evening. Erie looked to Joe Mantiply in relief, but another run for the Flying Squirrels signed the dotted line on a victory for Richmond. With the loss, Green falls to 2-14 on the year, tying the Erie franchise record for losses in a season.

Thomas: 2-3, 2 RBI, SO
Bernard: 1-4, R, SO
McVaney: 1-3, R, BB, SO
Green (L): 6.1 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 4 SO

COMING UP NEXT: The SeaWolves return to action on Friday for game two of their four-game home stand with Richmond. First pitch is set for 7:05 pm EST.

Dayton Dragons 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (F/13) (box)

Extra inning contests are becoming second nature for the Tigers minor league system this season, but an unfortunate turn can easily steal the excitement of an extended contest. With only eight hits in 44 plate appearances, an offense left lacking worked against the Whitecaps on Thursday evening. West Michigan righty Spencer Turnbull (8-2, 2.95 ERA) continued to create a buzz, holding Dayton to one earned run and striking out three through seven innings of work. Michael Gerber got West Michigan on the board with a ninth inning screamer over the wall, his eighth this season. Gerber's offensive partner in crime, Ross Kivett, was uncharacteristically quiet at the plate and ended his game in the ninth following an ejection after being called out on strikes. Returning West Michigan reliever Matt Davenport (0-1, 13.50 ERA) entered in the 13^th and it only took three batters to bring the winning run across the plate for Dayton, sending West Michigan home with the loss.

Gerber: 1-6, R, HR, RBI, SO
Scivicque: 3-5
Pankake: 2-4, BB, 2 SO
Turnbull: 7.0 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 3 SO
Davenport (L): 0.0 IP, H, ER, 2 BB

COMING UP NEXT: The South Bend Cubs (14-14) will head to town on Friday evening to Fifth Third Ballpark, as the Whitecaps play host for a three-game home stand.

Connecticut Tigers 11, Batavia MuckDogs 2 (box)

Following his return from High-A Lakeland, right hander Ryan Castellanos (0-0, 1.80 ERA) stepped into a Connecticut uniform and took the hill to lead the Tigers against Batavia to conclude their three-game series. Castellanos held the MuckDogs to one run over five innings of work and received solid relief in the form of Jack Fischer (1-1, 6.30 ERA), who held Batavia scoreless through a pair of innings. Connecticut shortstop A.J. Simcox led a 17-hit evening for the Tigers with a trio of hits and a pair of runs. Shane Zeile and Josh Lester added a little extra with a double apiece. Hot offense sealed the deal for the Tigers as they completed the sweep of the MuckDogs, bringing their win streak to four consecutive games.

Lester: 2-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB
Simcox: 3-5, 2 R
Donnels: 2-4, 2 R, RBI
Allen: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SO
Castellanos: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER
Fischer (W): 2.0 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 SO

COMING UP NEXT: The Tigers hit the road for Vermont to dive into a three-game weekend series with the Lake Monsters (13-19), beginning on Friday, before a much needed day off for the Tigers at the conclusion of their series.

All the Lakeland Flying Tigers and Palm Beach Cardinals are asking for is to play a little baseball. Mother Nature seems to disagree, forcing a second consecutive rain out between the two clubs on Thursday. A second attempt at a double-feature is slated for Friday with a start time of 4:00 pm for game one of the two.