The Akron RubberDucks defeated the Harrisburg Senators 8-6 in 10 innings in Akron, Ohio, after Dean Curley hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. The victory gave Akron a walk-off win in the series opener after Harrisburg tied the game in the ninth.
Harrisburg Senators Take Early Lead
The Harrisburg Senators scored twice in the first inning. Branden Boissiere drove in Nick Mitchell with a sacrifice fly, and Elijah Green followed with another sacrifice fly to score Devin Fitz-Gerald.
The Akron RubberDucks answered when Ryan Cesarini hit a first-pitch home run off Alex Clemmey, cutting Harrisburg’s lead to 2-1. The Senators restored their three-run advantage in the third after Green drew a walk and Ethan Petry hit a two-run home run that cleared the right-field wall.
Akron trimmed the deficit to one in the fourth inning on Bennett Thompson’s two-out, two-RBI double. The RubberDucks moved in front in the fifth when Aaron Walton hit a three-run home run with runners on second and third and two outs, giving Akron a 6-4 lead.
Senators Rally to Tie the Game
Clemmey left after 4.2 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out three. Harrisburg answered with a run in the sixth when Boissiere delivered a two-out single to score Kervin Pichardo, cutting Akron’s lead to 6-5.
The Harrisburg bullpen kept the Senators within one run. Sandy Gaston threw 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out three, Ben Grable worked a scoreless seventh while allowing one hit and striking out two, and Joe Glassey retired the side in order on seven pitches in the eighth.
Grable and Glassey have each thrown five scoreless outings since joining Harrisburg, according to the Senators’ game recap. Luke Young then threw a one-two-three ninth inning with one strikeout to send the game to extra innings.
Harrisburg tied the game in the top of the ninth. Boissiere led off with a double down the left-field line, Devin Ortiz entered as a pinch runner, and Petry followed with a single through the drawn-in infield to score Ortiz.
Petry has driven in 13 runs over his last six games played. The Senators could not advance the placed runner in the 10th inning, giving Akron another chance to win in the bottom half.
Dean Curley Delivers Akron’s Walk-Off Win
Robert Cranz took the mound for Harrisburg in the bottom of the 10th inning and struck out the first two hitters. Curley then hit a two-run home run to give the Akron RubberDucks an 8-6 victory over the Harrisburg Senators.
Harrisburg is scheduled to play again Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. Josh Randall, who is listed with a 4-5 record, is scheduled to start for the Senators.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The Harrisburg Senators built an early lead, recovered from Akron’s fifth-inning surge and tied the game in the ninth. The Akron RubberDucks ultimately prevailed when Curley’s two-run homer ended the series opener in the bottom of the 10th.
Source: Original report
