RubberDucks 9 Flying Squirrels 8 (10)WP: Cole Sulser (3-0) LP: Dan Slania (0-3) Save: noneSummaryAkron's Willi Castro's sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 10th resulted in a throwing error that allowed Connor Marabell to score the winning run and give the RubberDucks an improbable, 9-8 victory over the Richmond
RubberDucks 9 Flying Squirrels 8 (10)
WP: Cole Sulser (3-0) LP: Dan Slania (0-3) Save: none
Summary
Akron's Willi Castro's sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 10th resulted in a throwing error that allowed Connor Marabell to score the winning run and give the RubberDucks an improbable, 9-8 victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels Sunday afternoon at Canal Park.
Turning Point
The RubberDucks needed only one pitch from Dan Slania (0-3) to win the game in the bottom of the 10th. With designated runner Connor Marabell at second, Castro executed a sacrifice bunt that rolled back to Slania. The Richmond right-hander attempted to throw out Marabell at third base, but his throw was off-target and skipped down the right-field line allowing Marabell to score easily. It was Akron's third walk-off win of the series and 10th of the year.
Mound Presence
Cole Sulser (3-0) worked two shutout innings in the ninth and 10th to earn the relief win. He allowed one hit and struck out two. Jordan Milbrath also shined in relief, preceding Sulser with two scoreless innings of his own.
Duck Tales
The RubberDucks (60-40) rallied to tie the game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to set the stage for extra innings, and, ultimately, the win. With two outs and no one on base, Slania walked Andrew Calica, and Tyler Krieger singled. Joe Sever followed with a clutch, RBI single to left to drive in Calica and pull the Ducks to within one, 8-7. After a walk to Bobby Bradley, Connor Marabell singled through the middle, driving in Krieger with the tying run to make it 8-8. Sever tried to score on the play, but center-fielder Matt Lipka threw him out at the plate to end the inning and force extra frames.
Notebook
The RubberDucks swept the four-game series against the Flying Squirrels (46-52) and have won five straight games… Akron trailed 8-3 in the sixth after Ryan Howard's grand slam off Dominic DeMasi…Bradley socked a two-run homer in the 4th, his league-best 21st of the year…Krieger extended his hitting streak to 16 games…The RubberDucks have enjoyed four four-game sweeps this season…The Ducks improved to 31-18 at home, which is the most home wins in the EL…Time of game: 3:03 … Attendance: 4,901.
On the Pond
The RubberDucks will continue the homestand when they host Altoona in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night at 7:05. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App.
