The Richmond Flying Squirrels (23-25) scraped past the Reading Fightin Phils (27-23), 5-3, in the finale of a four-game series on Monday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. The win allowed Richmond to split the series. It marked the final game of the year for Richmond in Reading.
Richmond lefty Matt Lujan and Reading righty Zach Eflin dueled through six scoreless innings. Eflin had allowed the Squirrels just one hit, and Richmond had not had a runner past first base through those six innings. However, Eflin blinked first in the top of the seventh. He issued his fourth walk of the day to Blake Miller with two outs. Daniel Carbonell followed and hooked a slider over the left-field wall. The two-run shot, his first of the season, gave Richmond a 2-0 lead.
Lujan also ran into trouble in the seventh, as Rene Garcia led off with a double off the left-field wall. Harold Martinez followed and dropped a bunt-single to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Richmond went to the bullpen for lefty Phil McCormick. McCormick induced a double-play ball from KC Serna for the first two outs of the inning, but Garcia scored on the play to trim the Richmond lead to 2-1.
Lujan (3-4) was charged with the lone run on seven hits over six innings. He walked two, struck out five and earned his third win of the season.
Eflin (4-4) allowed just two hits, but permitted two earned runs. He walked four, struck out three and endured his fourth defeat of the season.
Richmond tacked on an insurance-run off of right-hander Colton Murray in the eighth inning. Kelby Tomlinson triggered the uprising by drawing a one-out walk. Devin Harris followed and blooped a single into right-center field. An out later, Mitch Delfino made it 3-1 when he lined an opposite-field single to right field.
Reading got one back in the bottom of the eighth against right-hander Jose Casilla. J.P. Crawford led off with a double up the right-field line. He was knocked in an out later when Brock Stassi ripped a single into right field.
The Squirrels iced the ballgame with two more off Murray in the ninth. Blake Miller opened the inning with a single, and Carbonell put runners on the corners when he shot a single to right-center. Eliezer Zambrano followed and blasted a single off the right-field wall for a 4-2 lead. An out later, Tomlinson capped the Squirrels’ scoring for the day with a sacrifice-fly to center field.
Lefty Josh Osich had a little trouble in the ninth, and allowed a run without the benefit of a hit. However, he recovered to earn his 11th save of the season.
The Squirrels will travel to Portland, ME, the second city of their three-city, 10-game road trip, and will open a three-game series with the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) on Tuesday night at Hadlock Field. First pitch of the opener is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. as Richmond RHP Joe Biagini (3-3, 1.53) will make the start against Portland RHP Justin Haley (1-6, 5.70). The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 910 and FoxSportsRichmond.com.
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