The Erie SeaWolves (14-23) stormed past the Richmond Flying Squirrels (14-21) and claimed a, 10-6, victory in the opener of a three-game series at Jerry Uht Park on Monday night. The game was delayed at the outset by rain for an hour and eight minutes. Richmond held a 5-0 lead before Erie scored 10 unanswered runs.
The floodgates opened for the Squirrels against lefty Josh Turley in the second inning. The big inning was triggered when Ricky Oropesa reached on a throwing error with one out. Devin Harris followed and clubbed a two-run home run onto the roof of Erie Insurance Arena in left field. Myles Schroder then sparked the inning anew with a double into the left-field corner. Daniel Carbonell brought Schroder around when he looped a double to right field. Kelby Tomlinson then pushed a bunt that scored Carbonell for a 4-0 lead. Rando Moreno capped the inning with an RBI double shot up the right-field line. Richmond sent 10 batters in the inning and scored five runs on six hits.
Erie responded against lefty Matt Lujan in the third. Brendan Harris led off with a single. It was the first of three consecutive singles, as Wynton Bernard and Jeff McVay also singled to load the bases with nobody out. Erie then got RBI groundouts from both Jason Krizan and Dean Green. Drew Longley followed and pulled the SeaWolves within two runs, 5-3, with an RBI single to center field.
Bernard made it a one-run game in the fourth when he sent a solo-home run to left field. His second of the season made it a 5-4 Richmond lead.
The SeaWolves overtook the Squirrels as they batted around for the second time in the fifth inning. They chased Lujan in the process. Green got the rally started with a single. An out later, Lujan walked Wade Gaynor. Mitch Delfino then committed his second error of the night to allowed Erie to load the bases. James Robbins made the error hurt as he followed it with a three-run triple to the right-field corner. Richmond went to the bullpen for righty Edwin Quirarte, but he couldn’t stem the tide. Harris chopped a single over a drawn-in infield to score Robbins. Bernard then completed a five-run inning with an RBI double yanked into the left field corner. The SeaWolves exited the inning with a 9-5 lead.
Lujan (1-4) took the loss for the Squirrels. He worked 4 1/3 innings and was charged with a season-high eight runs – seven earned. He permitted eight hits, walked two and struck out four.
Turley (3-2) righted the ship and lasted six innings for the win. He was charged with five runs, two earned, on seven hits. He did not issue a walk and struck out two.
Lefty Joe Mantiply worked two scoreless innings of relief for Erie, handling the seventh and eighth innings. Right-hander Confesor Lara had a little trouble in the ninth, conceding Richmond’s final run, but eventually finished the win for the SeaWolves.
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Jerry Uht Park. Richmond RHP Kyle Crick (0-1, 1.64) will make the start against Erie RHP Derek Hankins (2-4, 4.87). The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Fox Sports 910 and FoxSportsRichmond.com.
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Chris Graham
