Flying Squirrels lefty Andrew Suarez tossed six solid innings and the Squirrels offense contributed 11 hits to escape a sweep in Harrisburg by a final of 6-2 on Sunday afternoon. Suarez struck out eight batters and allowed just two runs on six hits in the win. Carlos Moncrief powered the Richmond offense with a solo home run and a pair of RBI’s. Outfielder Steven Duggar was on base four times and added a pair of stolen bases.
The Squirrels avoided the sweep and snapped their five-game losing streak. They took an early 3-0 lead in the fourth inning against Harrisburg’s Mark Blackmar. Hunter Cole opened the inning with a base hit to left and Ryder Jones followed with walk. Brandon Bednar then delivered the first two runs of the day, blasting a triple out to left center field. Steve Lerud then made it a 3-0 contest with a double to left, bringing home Bednar.
Suarez was dominant in his 12th start of the season for Richmond. The lefty was nearly flawless through the first three innings, allowing just an infield single to Rafael Bautista. Suarez hit a snag in the fourth when Isaac Ballou put the Senators on the board with a solo home run over the right field wall. Ballou smacked a two-strike pitch that barely cleared the wall to pull Harrisburg to within two, 3-1.
Carlos Moncrief returned serve with a solo blast in the top of the fifth. Moncrief drilled his 5th homer over the right center field wall and put the Squirrels ahead 4-1. Blackmar (1-1) finished the fifth inning for his final frame. Blackmar suffered the loss and allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings of work.
The Senators benefited from another solo blast in the sixth inning, this time from Wilmer Difo. Difo hammered a pitch over the left field wall, trimming the Senator deficit to 4-2. Suarez finished off the sixth inning with a pair of strikeouts to end his outing. Suarez (4-6) allowed just two runs on six hits over six frames. Thelefty struck out eight and used 94 pitches to earn the win.
Richmond added a run in the seventh and another in the eighth against the Harrisburg Bullpen. Reliever Derek Self walked Steven Duggar to lead off the seventh. Duggar promptly stole second and came around to score on a base hit from Carlos Moncrief. Richmond took a 6-2 lead in the eighth, using a pair of walks from lefty Nick Lee. Tyler Horan entered with the bases loaded and smashed a single, scoring Ryder Jones.
The Squirrels bullpen was flawless in relief of Suarez to hold down the win. Jose Casilla faced the minimum in the seventh and Preston Claiborne mowed down all six batters he faced to finish the game and snap the Squirrels five-game losing streak.
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