Erie SeaWolves Use Masterful Pitching to Defeat the Akron Aeros 3-1

AKRON, OH – Erie pitching held the Aeros to just a solo home run in a 3-1 win over Akron before 4,203 fans at Canal Park Sunday afternoon. The Aeros fell to 62-38, losing just their second series since the first week of May, and the Wolves improved to 42-59.
It remained a 1-0 score until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Stephen Head ripped a two-out solo home run into the plants in left-center to tie it at 1-1.

The tie would be short-lived however, as in the eighth the SeaWolves took advantage of an error by third baseman Wes Hodges to plate a pair of unearned runs and take a 3-1 lead that would hold for the final margin. Shawn Roof led off with a grounder to third, but the throw by Hodges pulled Head off the first base bag, allowing Roof to reach. Will Rhymes bunted Roof to second, and one batter later Ryan Roberson crushed Tony Sipp’s offering off the top of the batter’s eye in straight-away center field for a two-run homer.

Outside of two Hodges errors, the Akron defense was spectacular, led by center fielder Trevor Crowe. The 2005 first-round pick started the game auspiciously, robbing Rhymes of a leadoff single by diving head-first toward second base for the out. Crowe saved a run in the fourth when he gunned out Louis Ott at the plate, and in the sixth inning, Crowe ranged deep into right-center and dove with full extension to rob Jeff Frazier of extra-bases. Frazier had previously been victimized in the fourth, as he ripped a grounder up the middle only to see shortstop Josh Rodriguez make a diving stop and glove-flip to Brandon Pinckney at second, who then relayed to retire Frazier for a nifty twin-killing.

Matt Rusch (1-0) picked up the win, allowing one run in two innings of work. Sipp (0-2) took his second loss in as many outings after surrendering the two-run homer, though both runs were unearned. Casey Fien nabbed his 12^th save and his third of the series with a perfect ninth, including two strikeouts. Lewis worked six innings, allowing one run on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks. Matt LaPorta and Hodges reached base twice, each with a hit and a walk.