The Harrisburg Senators (18-21) brushed aside the Richmond Flying Squirrels (18-19), 8-1, on Tuesdaynight at Metro Bank Park. The win allowed Harrisburg to level the series at a game apiece, turning Wednesday’s series finale into a rubber match.
Jarrett Parker got the Squirrels off to the fastest start possible against Harrisburg righty Paul Demny. Leading off the ballgame, Parker drilled a 2-2 pitch well over the wall in right field. His fifth home run of the season put the Squirrels on top, 1-0. Demny, who earned Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing eight no-hit innings in his last outing, conceded back-to-back hits to start the ballgame.
The Senators got even with a run in the bottom of the second against Richmond lefty Ryan Bradley. Bradley easily recorded the first two outs of the inning, but then conceded three consecutive singles to Sandy Leon, Ricky Hague and Demny. Demny’s single aided his own cause as it brought home Leon to tie the game, 1-1.
Jared Head gave the Senators their first lead of the night in the bottom of the third inning. Trailing in the count, Head blasted an 0-2 pitch from Bradley out of the ballpark to left field. Head’s third home run of the season put Harrisburg in front, 2-1.
Harrisburg gained control of the ballgame with three more runs against Bradley in the fourth. Hague led off with a double up the left-field line. Demny then laid down a sacrifice bunt that Bradley fielded. He misfired to first base, and the Senators had runners at the corners with nobody out. Brian Goodwin, Jose Lozada and Anthony Rendon all singled consecutively. A run scored on each single, stretching Harrisburg’s lead to 5-1.
In the fifth inning, Sandy Leon put the ballgame out of reach with the final blow against Bradley. With Destin Hood aboard, Leon sent a two-run home run to left-center field for a 7-1 lead.
Bradley (0-4) retired after the fifth inning, suffering his fourth defeat of the season. He surrendered seven runs – six earned – on a career-high 12 hits. He walked one, hit one and struck out two.
Demny (3-4) earned the win over six innings. After brief trouble early, he allowed the Squirrels little else in the outing. He allowed just the lone run on four hits, walked three and struck out seven.
Goodwin supplied the exclamation point for the Sens as he led off the eighth inning with a solo-home run. That was the only blemish for the Richmond bullpen, as right-handers Scott Shuman and Jose Valdez combined to strike out nine men over three innings. Shuman struck out four in the sixth inning, with one man reaching on a wild pitch.
Left-handers Pat McCoy and Bill Bray finished the ballgame without incident from the Harrisburg bullpen. McCoy worked two perfect innings and Bray polished off the win in the ninth.
The finale of the three-game series is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at Metro Bank Park on Wednesday morning. RHP Omar Javier (3-0, 4.09) will make the start for Richmond against RHP Caleb Clay (3-2, 4.30) for Harrisburg. Pregame coverage begins on Sports Radio 910, SportsRadio910.com and IHeart Radio at 10:00 a.m.
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