NORWICH, Ct. - Parker Meadows grounded an RBI single to left field in the eighth inning of his New York-Penn League debut and finished 1-for-4 at the plate as the Connecticut Tigers (25-30) lost their series opener to the Aberdeen IronBirds (26-31) on Friday night at Dodd Stadium, 12-2. Meadows, an
NORWICH, Ct. - Parker Meadows grounded an RBI single to left field in the eighth inning of his New York-Penn League debut and finished 1-for-4 at the plate as the Connecticut Tigers (25-30) lost their series opener to the Aberdeen IronBirds (26-31) on Friday night at Dodd Stadium, 12-2.
Meadows, an 18-year-old outfielder and second-round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in June, made his first start for Connecticut in center field and batted sixth in the order. Following a flyout and two strikeouts in his first three at-bats, Meadows singled against Aberdeen reliever Hector Guance (Win, 5-5) with one out to score Cam Warner from third and cut Aberdeen's lead to 10-2 in the bottom of the eighth on Connecticut's lone base hit with a runner in scoring position (1-for-9).
Tigers designated hitter Jordan Verdon recorded the only other RBI on a groundout in the eighth to score Nick Ames, one batter before Meadows. 19-year-old shortstop Jose King returned to Connecticut from West Michigan and doubled in his first game with the Tigers since July 12.
Stevie Ledesma (Loss, 0-1) allowed six earned runs in three innings during his first NYPL start. He exited with the bases loaded and no outs in the fourth inning before Mitchell Stalsberg allowed all three inherited runners to score. The IronBirds seized a 10-0 lead in the sixth inning with two earned runs against Victor Mueses and they scored twice more in the ninth while facing Felix Viloria.
Aberdeen right fielder Anthony Santander led with three doubles, three runs batted in, and two runs as the Tigers allowed double-digit runs at home for the first time this season and suffered their most lopsided loss at Dodd Stadium in 2018. Following the defeat, Connecticut remained 6 1/2 games behind the Stedler Division-leading Tri-City ValleyCats with 19 games left.
On Saturday at 5:05 p.m., the Tigers and IronBirds will resume a scoreless game suspended by rain in the middle of the third inning on July 22 at Aberdeen. Following the conclusion of the first seven-inning contest, the Tigers and IronBirds will begin a new seven-inning game in the backend of a Saturday night doubleheader with Liberty Bank Fireworks to follow.
Dodd Stadium gates open at 4 p.m. on Saturday and the first 1,000 fans will receive a bobblehead of former CT Tigers reliever and 2018 American League All-Star, Joe Jiménez. Coverage on the Norwich Courtyard by Marriott Connecticut Tigers Radio Network begins at 4:50 p.m. with Kevin Gehl and Elijah Gonzalez on WICH 1310 AM and online at CTTigers.com.
The Connecticut Tigers are the New York-Penn League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut. Individual tickets for all 2018 home games, season memberships to "The Club," ticket mini-plans, and Tigers team merchandise are now on sale at Dodd Stadium, by phone at 860-887-7962, and online at CTTigers.com.
