The Richmond Flying Squirrels (54-59) rode a seven-inning masterpiece from left-hander Edwin Escobar to a 5-0 shutout win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (54-57) in front of 8,244 at The Diamond on Saturdaynight. The shutout was the 12th for the Squirrels, equaling Harrisburg for the most in the Eastern League.
The Squirrels broke open a scoreless ballgame in a big way in the third inning. They scored four runs on six hits off New Hampshire right-hander Marcus Walden. Javier Herrera sparked the inning with a one-out double. Mark Minicozzi followed and slapped a single into right field. Herrera scored when the ball was misplayed in right field for a 1-0 lead. Angel Villalona also singled to right field. Adam Duvall then blasted a double to center field to plate Minicozzi. Jarrett Parker and Brett Krill then provided back-to-back singles to cap the scoring in the four-run frame.
Meanwhile, Escobar (3-2) was dealing. He allowed just one base runner through the seven innings, conceding a ground ball single to Kevin Nolan in the second inning and nothing else. He retired the lead-off man in every inning, never was threatened and earned his third win of the year. He walked none and struck out six in the masterpiece, retiring the final 16 batters that he faced.
Walden (6-12) settled back in nicely and retired 13 consecutive batters following Krill’s single in the third inning. However, he was doomed to the loss. He was charged with four runs – all earned – on eight hits. He walked one and struck out a career-high nine.
Right-hander Cody Hall came on to record the last six outs of the ballgame. It was a non-save situation for the Richmond closer.
The Squirrels tacked on a run against lefty Evan Crawford in the eighth inning. Ryan Lollis knocked in the run with a single after Crawford had walked two batters and hit another to load the bases.
The finale of the three-game weekend series is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. at The Diamond on Sunday night. The finale will feature a rarity, as both clubs will start a pitcher on MLB rehab. Giants’ RHP Ryan Vogelsong (1-0, 0.00) will make the start for Richmond while Blue Jays’ RHP Drew Hutchison (0-0, 8.10) will toe the rubber for New Hampshire. The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup will begin at 1:35 p.m. on Sports Radio 910, SportsRadio910.com and IHeart Radio.
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