The Richmond Flying Squirrels (32-26) issued a franchise record 13 walks as they dropped the finale of a three-game set, 9-4, to the New Britain Rock Cats (29-31) on Thursday night at The Diamond. The Rock Cats took the series with the win, although the Squirrels did post a winning homestand, going 4-2 on the week.
Richmond lefty Carlos Teller and New Britain right-hander Trevor May battled through four scoreless innings. Teller held the Rock Cats without a hit and worked around four walks. May conceded just two singles, and also skirted a pair of free passes.
New Britain broke through first when Teller walked the lead-off man Chris Pettit. A.J. Pettersen followed and yanked a double up the left-field line. Pettit motored around from first base for a 1-0 lead. Danny Santana then attempted to bunt Pettit to third base. Catcher Andrew Susac fielded the bunt and threw wildly towards third base into left field. Pettersen scored on the miscue for a 2-0 advantage. Teller did not survive the inning, relieved by righty Jose Valdez after 4 1/3 innings.
Teller (1-1) suffered his first defeat in the Eastern League despite allowing just one hit. He was charged with two runs, one earned, while walking five and striking out four. Teller has walked a minimum of five in each of his last three starts. He has issued 16 total walks over his past 14 1/3 innings.
The Rock Cats blew the game wide open with a lot of help from the Squirrels in the top of the sixth inning. The combination of Valdez and right-hander Omar Javier issued five more walks and Javier also hit a man as part of the uprising. The Rock Cats scored seven runs on just three hits in the stanza to take a 9-0 lead. Danny Santana and Nate Hanson each had two-run doubles in the inning, and Danny Ortiz punctuated the inning with a two-run single. All three of those hits came off Javier, who was tagged with three earned runs in just a third-of-an-inning. The other four runs were pinned on Valdez over just two-thirds-of-an-inning. Through six innings on the mound, Richmond hurlers had walked 11 and hit a batter.
May (5-2) lasted six innings and earned the win – his fifth of the year. He conceded just one run on five hits, walked two and struck out six. Richmond tallied their lone run against May in the sixth inning when Adam Duvall and Mark Minicozzi contributed back-to-back doubles to opposite corners. Minicozzi’s shot to right field scored Duvall, who had sent his two-bagger to left.
Duvall and Ricky Oropesa each homered off New Britain right-hander Cole Johnson to cap the scoring in the eighth inning. Duvall’s fifth of the year was a solo-shot to left, while Oropesa’s fourth was a two-run drive to right-center. Righties Drew Bowlin and Scott Shuman each walked a batter in relief to bring the Squirrels to their team record total.
The Squirrels hit the road on Friday, opening a three-game weekend series with the Trenton Thunder (New York Yankees) at ARM & HAMMER Park at 7:05 p.m. Richmond RHP Taylor Rogers (4-2, 5.34) will make the start against Trenton RHP Jose Ramirez (1-3, 2.65). The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warm Up begins at 6:35 p.m. on Sports Radio 910,SportsRadio910.com and IHeart Radio.
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