by The Akron RubberDucks bats go quiet as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies cruise to a victory at Canal Park on Thursday. After scoring the first run of the ballgame, the RubberDucks lineup stalled. Akron loses their third game in a row to fall below .500 nearing the halfway mark of the season.
Akron starter Doug Nikhazy came out the gate strong, fanning 3 Rumble Pony hitters in the top of the first. Even with below average velocity on his fastball, Nikhazy showcased the movement on his breaking pitches early. In the bottom half, shortstop Jose Tena roped a double into left center field to kickstart the Akron offense. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, left fielder Petey Halpin helped the cause, driving in Tena via a sacrifice fly to left field.
Even through the Akron lineup gave Nikhazy run support quickly, he struggled in the second. With two outs and a runner on first, 5 Binghamton hitters reached base safely. Eight-hole hitter and first basemen Warren Saunders smashed a double over the head of Halpin, driving in a run. Shortstop Branden Fryman, second baseman Rowdy Jordan, and third baseman Jose Peroza each scooped up RBI base hits. Binghamton dumped 4 runs on Nikhazy with 2 outs.
Saunders continued to keep his bat red hot, blasting a no-doubt shot over the left field wall in the top of the fourth. Following a single down the right field line by Peroza, Nikhazy’s day was over. Falling to 2-4 on the season, Nikhazy threw 3.2 innings, allowing 8 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts.
Akron catcher Bryan Lavastida responded with a moonshot of his own in the bottom half of the fourth to cut the lead to 3. Lavastida–who was on the Guardians opening day roster in 2022–did all he could in today’s effort. He went 3-for-4 with a homer, 2 singles, an RBI, and one stolen base. This brought his average to a content .261 with 4 home runs and 30 RBI’s. Lavastida was the only shed of light in today’s matchup, as the RubberDucks had 5 hits as a collect unit.
Bullpen arms Matt Tuner and Mason Hickman could not stop the bleeding. In 5 and a third innings of work, they combined for 3 earned runs, 9 hits, and 6 strikeouts. Binghamton hitters seemed unstoppable, finding gaps throughout all parts of the diamond. Accumulating a whopping 17 hits, 5 of the 9 hitters concluded the contest with 2 or more hits.
Saunders was the start of the show, going 3-for-5 with a homerun, a double, and 3 RBI’s. Jordan and Peroza went 3-for-5 with an RBI, with Jordan adding a stolen base. Designated hitter Jose Mena added 3 hits. Catcher Hayden Senger went 2-for-3 with 2 singles, 2 walks, an RBI and a stolen base.
Rumble Ponies starter Dom Hamel earned a quality start and the win for his impressive performance. Earning his third win in 12 starts, Hamel tossed 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 earned runs, and 7 punch-outs.
Losing 3 games in a row in this 7-game series against Binghamton, the Akron RubberDucks look to end the skid and get back in the win column. First pitch for tomorrow’s doubleheader is slated for 5:05 EDT at Canal Park in Akron.
