The Richmond Flying Squirrels split a doubleheader with the Portland Sea Dogs on Thursday night at The Diamond, dropping the first game, 4-3, before winning the second, 4-2.
The Flying Squirrels (38-28) now sit tied for second in the Eastern League Southwest Division standings, one game behind first-place Akron with three games to play before the first-half champion is determined on Sunday.
Game 1
Win: Brian Van Belle (1-1)
Loss: Gray Fenter (0-4)
Save: Jared Thompson (1)
TOG: 1:56
Box Score
The Flying Squirrels led late but fell, 4-3, to the Sea Dogs in Game 1 of the doubleheader.
With the Flying Squirrels ahead, 3-1, in the top of the sixth, Caddanne Rafaela drove the first pitch of the inning over the left field fence for a solo homer to close the score to 3-2. Reliever Gray Fenter (Loss, 0-4) took over and surrendered a two-run homer to Tyreque Reed to give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 lead.
Jared Thompson (Save, 1) worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to finish the game.
Richmond opened the bottom second with three straight single to take a 1-0 lead, capped with an RBI single by Tyler Fitzgerald.
The Sea Dogs evened the score, 1-1, with a two-out, infield single by Rafaela to score Kole Cottam.
In the bottom of the fourth, Frankie Tostado belted a solo homer to enter, his ninth of the season, to put the Flying Squirrels ahead, 2-1.
Mike Gigliotti drove an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to extend Richmond’s lead to 3-1.
Portland starter Brian Van Belle (Win, 1-1) struck out seven over five innings and allowed three runs.
Game 2
Win: Matt Frisbee (3-4)
Loss: Victor Santos (5-7)
TOG: 1:26
Attendance: 7,507
Box Score
Matt Frisbee pitched a complete game and Sean Roby homered twice as the Flying Squirrels beat the Sea Dogs, 4-2, in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Frisbee (Win, 3-4) worked the first complete game of his Double-A career, allowing two runs over seven innings.
The Flying Squirrels took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Portland fielding error. Later in the inning, Roby launched a two-run homer to open a 3-2 lead against Sea Dogs starter Victor Santos (Loss, 5-7).
The Sea Dogs (29-37) closed the gap to 3-2 in the fifth inning with a two-run double by Tyler Dearden.
Roby added to the Richmond lead with a solo homer, his 18th of the year, in the bottom of the sixth inning. Roby added to a pair of franchise records with his 15th homer at The Diamond and his fourth multi-homer game of the year.
The series continues on Friday night at The Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (3-5, 5.28) will start for the Flying Squirrels opposed by Sea Dogs right-hander Brett Kennedy (1-2, 4.00).
Friday night features a Flying Squirrels Hawaiian shirt giveaway for the first 1,000 fans 15 and older presented by Performance Foodservice. It also includes Funnville Friday Happy Hour with $2 12-ounce domestic beers at all concession stands, upper concourse beer carts and The Thirsty Acorn as well as $2 fountain sodas at the Pepsi Fountain. The gates at The Diamond open at 5:30.
Tickets are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-3866 or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.
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Chris Graham
