Richmond offense shut down in 5-0 loss to Akron

AKRON, Ohio – An early five-run deficit iced the Richmond Flying Squirrels in a 5-0 shutout loss to the Akron RubberDucks Saturday night at Canal Park.

The Richmond pitching staff walked a season-high nine batters in the loss. It was the ninth time the Flying Squirrels (42-47, 8-12) have been shutout this season.

Akron (51-38, 14-6) jumped ahead, 3-0, in the bottom of the first inning. Milan Tolentino lifted a sacrifice fly and Dayan Frias bashed a two-run single against Richmond starter Will Bednar (Loss, 0-1) to give the RubberDucks a three-run advantage.

Joe Lampe extended the Akron lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the second with a two-RBI double. Reliever Wil Jensen allowed just two baserunners through the rest of his appearance.

Ben Madison and Seth Corry each had scoreless outings, combining for four runners left on base. Eric Silva fired two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth inning, extending his scoreless streak to eight consecutive appearances.

Akron starter Parker Messick (Win, 3-1) struck out seven batters through five innings and allowed three hits.

The Flying Squirrels wrap up the series against the RubberDucks Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. from Canal Park. Right-hander Trevor McDonald (0-2, 4.00) will make the start for Richmond.

The team will be back at The Diamond for a six-game homestand against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies July 23-28. On Tuesday, the Flying Squirrels celebrate past players who have gone to the big leagues. The first 1,000 fans ages 15 and older will go home with a Boulevard to The Bay t-shirt presented by Seredni Tire & Auto.

Tickets are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.