by Akron RubberDucks starter Will Dion tossed a gem against the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Wednesday at Canal Park. In his seventh start as a RubberDuck, Dion had total control of the game en route to his second win on the season. A much-needed victory for Akron following yesterday’s blowout loss.
After a clean first inning thrown by Dion, the Akron lineup went to work in the bottom half. Center fielder Petey Halpin squibbed a grounder to Richmond second baseman Jimmy Glowenke. Glowenke could not corral the ball, muffing it in the process. He was credited with a fielding error. Akron shortstop Jose Tena would get hit by Ryan Murphy’s pitch during the next at-bat. After both runners advanced to scoring position via a wild pitch, left fielder Johnathan Rodriguez drove them in with a base knock up the middle. This 2-RBI single by Rodriguez would be the only runs scored by the RubberDucks in today’s game.
Dion was lights out, as the Richmond hitters had no answers all game. Richmond third baseman Carter Aldrete hit a line-drive single to start the third inning, but that would be the only Richmond batter to reach base for a while.
Dion would retire 12 batters in a row from the third inning up until the sixth. Earning his second win with the RubberDucks, Dion filled up the stat sheet. He threw 6 complete innings, only allowing 2 hits, walking 1 batter, and punching out 7 Flying Squirrel hitters. He had ultimate command, mixing in his fastball and breaking pitches flawlessly.
Righty reliever Davis Sharpe aimed to be Dion’s successor in the top of the seventh. Sharpe has been solid for the entirety of the season, bolstering an impressive 2.33 ERA in over 38 innings of working leading up to tonight’s appearance.
Still up by 2, Sharpe got the first out of the inning. Richmond designated hitter Donovan Walton blasted a no-doubter to right field, cutting the deficit in half. Walton’s moonshot was only the third home run given up by Sharpe all season, and his first in 13 relief outings. He would strike out the next two Richmond hitters, getting out of the inning still clinging to a 1-run lead.
Sharpe would be relieved by Franco Aleman with 2 outs in the top of the 8th. Aleman was thrown into the most important appearance of his minor league career. Aleman started the 2023 season with the Guardians High-A affiliate, the Lake County Captains. He was called up to the RubberDucks at the beginning of the month. Coming into tonight’s save situation, Aleman appeared in 3 games for Akron. In 1.1 innings, he struck out 3 batters, dominating the Richmond hitters, and picking up his first career Double-A save.
The Akron pitching staff concluded with 1 walk and 12 strikeouts, truly a supreme day on the mound. Second baseman Juan Brito, catcher Michael Berglund, and Rodriguez all had a hit. Rodriguez capped off his day with the go-ahead 2-RBI single in the first. Brito also accumulated one walk.
The RubberDucks look to stay on track as they dive into the bulk of this series against Richmond. They will now focus on starting a win streak, by taking game number three in this six-game set facing the Flying Squirrels. The first pitch for tomorrow is slated to be at 6:35 EDT at Canal Park.
