ST. MICHAEL —
A big inning keyed by a bases-clearing triple from Chris Mitko, and eight shutout innings from left-hander Sean Kennedy helped the Columbus Braves eliminate Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn Hurricanes 8-1 on Tuesday.
“Offensively, we haven’t been hitting too well, but (Tuesday) we got some real timely hits,” Braves manager Bruce Domineck said. “Our left fielder Mitko had the big blow of the game with the bases-loaded triple. He’s one of the youngest players on our ball team and growing every day. It’s good to see him perform like that.
“Our pitcher has been one of our top guys all year. Sean Kennedy pitched another one of his outstanding games, going eight innings for us. He pitched shutout baseball and was on top of his game.”
Kennedy, a freshman at Ohio University, scattered eight hits, striking out five and walking three. For Mitko, a freshman at Youngstown State, the triple with the three RBIs was his lone hit.
Both teams had tough outings on Monday, with the Braves falling to Livonia and having a player and their manager ejected because of an illegal bat, but the Hurricanes’ late game at the Point against Johnstown’s Delweld seemed to have taken something out of them.
“We just couldn’t put it together (Tuesday),” Cleveland manager Bill Kirchner said. “I think there was a little bit of a hangover from (Monday) night’s game. We didn’t pitch well then and (Tuesday), it seemed like we were there, but just couldn’t get it done. We couldn’t get a hit at the right time.”
Added Domineck: “We rebounded pretty good. There’s no doubt about it that Cleveland was at a disadvantage. They were sort of dragging, I thought, starting out and rightfully so, they were there late and it was very hot. With that in mind, I think they ran out of gas and that’s what probably led to some pretty good numbers for us.”
Columbus sent nine men to the plate in the fourth inning. With one out, Cleveland starter Matt Crossland walked Tyler Gray and Dave Kennett. Tyler Welch’s single scored Gray. Adam Scheiderer was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Mitko, who gave the Braves a 4-0 lead.
The Braves added two more runs in the fourth and one each in the seventh and eighth, including a solo home run by Gray. The third baseman finished 2-for-3 and scored three runs while teammate Andy Ozbolt was 2-for-3 and drove in one.
Kennett and Scheiderer each scored twice and Welch had two RBIs.
Cleveland, which had runners on base in eight of the nine innings and stranded 12, scored in the top of the ninth after Jared Farmer came in to relieve Kennedy.
Ben Willen singled to open the frame and went to second on an errant throw to first by Farmer.
Pinch-hitter Jordan Durham singled to move Willen to third. Craig Rinkus had a sacrifice fly to plate Willen.
Willen finished 3-for-3 while Crossland was
2-for-3 with the only multiple-base hit for Cleveland, a double in the fourth.
Aaron Miller was 2-for-4.
Columbus will face New York today.
“It’s a day at a time, now,” Domineck said.
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