Brant Hurter’s strong start helps Erie down Harrisburg

Omaha Storm Chasers 9, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

The Storm Chasers made it three it a row to take a 3-1 lead in the series, and theme of blowouts continued on Friday.

It was a bullpen day for the Hens, and short outings by Austin Bergner and Aneurys Zabala in particular went poorly as the Storm Chasers pounded out 12 hits and drew eight walks.

Jonathan Davis doubled with one out in the top of the seventh and later scored on a wild pitch. Justyn Henry-Malloy doubled and walked out of the leadoff spot. Parker Meadows had the day off. Otherwise there wasn’t much to report from the Hens offense despite putting the ball in play a lot.

Malloy: 1-3, 2B, BB

Davis, Jo: 2-4, R, 2B, SO

Bergner (L, 1-1): 1.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB, SO

Coming Up Next: The Hens will send RHP Reese Olson (1-3, 8.44 ERA) to the mound on Saturday at 7:35 p.m. ET. He could use a good outing. LHP Drew Parrish (1-2, 5.74 ERA) will take the ball for Omaha.

Erie SeaWolves 6, Harrisburg Senators 0 (box)

Brant Hurter spun a really nice game and the SeaWolves built an early lead and pulled away on Friday night.

Hurter scattered four singles over five scoreless innings of work. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. Pretty good day on the mound for the big lefty. Alemeo Hernandez kept the SeaWolves’ lineup in check for four innings, but in the fifth they broke through.

Grant Witherspoon led off with a single and promptly stole second base. Jake Holton walked and Andrew Navigato reached on an infield single to load the bases. Ben Malgeri popped out, but a Luis Santana ground ball turned into a minor meltdown for Harrisburg as a throwing error scored Holton on top of Witherspoon and made it 2-0 Erie.

The SeaWolves loaded the bases in the eighth when Colt Keith was hit by a pitch to open the inning, followed by walks to Wenceel Perez and Grant Witherspoon with one out. Holton doubled in Keith and Perez, and a batter later Daniel Cabrera singled in Witherspoon and Holton. The SeaWolves’ bullpen did the rest with good outings from Billy Lescher, Jake Higginbotham, and new addition Tim Naughton.

Holton: 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B,

Witherspoon: 1-1, 2 R, 3 BB, SB

Hurter (W, 2-1): 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 4 SO

Coming Up Next: RHP Keider Montero (1-1, 6.23 ERA) gets the ball at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. He’ll have good competition in the form of RHP Jackson Rutledge (4-1, 2.72 ERA).

Great Lakes Loons 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)

This was a little bit of a heartbreaker as the Whitecaps built a slim early lead and got really good pitching performances only to lose it in walkoff fashion on Friday in Midland.

Garrett Burhenn had no trouble at all with the Loons. The right-hander two-hit them over five scoreless innings with seven punchouts to one walk. The offense scratched out a pair of runs in the fourth, with a Luis Garcia RBI double the key hit in the inning. But they couldn’t build on that lead at all the rest of the way.

Jake Holub followed Burhenn with two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Chavez Fernander handled the eighth and pitched around a pair of singles. Unfortunately Trevin Michael allowed a three-run shot as the Loons walked off in style.

Murr: 2-4, SO

Garcia: 1-4, RBI, 2B, 3 SO

Mendoza: 1-3, R, RBI, SO

Burhenn: 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 7 SO

Coming Up Next: LHP Jack O’Loughlin (1-3, 2.96 ERA) take on Loons’ RHP Jerming Rosario (0-1, 6.00 ERA) at 6:05 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 7, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 6 (box)

The Flying Tigers came from behind early in this one and held on late to even the series at two games apiece.

The Mussels had built a 2-0 lead when the Flying Tigers struck in the bottom of the third. Alvaro Gonzalez led off with a single, and Dom Johnson drew a walk. Peyton Graham followed with a three-run shot to left that made it 3-2 Lakeland. The Mussels tied it back up at 3-3 in the top of the fourth, but the Flying Tigers took advantage of some defensive mistakes to score three in the bottom half to hold a 6-3 lead.

In the seventh, as rain really started coming down, reliever Garrett Apker walked the first two batters he faced before play was delayed for 70 minutes. Jordan Marks took over in a bad spot when play resumed and allowed a single and then a triple that tied the game before shutting Fort Myers down.

In the bottom of the seventh, Dom Johnson created a run by leading off with a single and then stealing second and third as Graham and Manuel Sequera popped out. A two-out single from Jose De La Cruz scored Johnson with the eventual game winner.

Gold: 3-4, R, SB

Graham: 1-3, R, 3 RBI, HR, SB

Johnson: 1-4, R, RBI, SO, 2 SB

Coming Up Next: RHP Cory Lewis (4-1, 2.43 ERA) starts for the Mighty Mussels on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET.