Lucas Elissalt shoves in Double-A debut, Beau Ankeney crushes two more homers for the Whitecaps

Louisville Bats 9, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

Austin Gomber gave the Hens a solid short start, but the bats were quiet in this one.

The lefty tossed 3.2 innings of no-hit ball with two walks and four strikeouts. Brant Hurter took over for his second rehab outing and just gave up hit after hit. He surrendered two runs in the fourth, and three more in the fifth before Nick Sandlin finally took over to clean up the inning. Carl Edwards Jr. then gave up four more runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Max Burt doubled in the top of the sixth to lead off the inning, and Bennett Lee and Jace Jung each grounded out, allowing Burt to score the Hens only run. They only managed two hits in this one despite facing an older depth starter in Ben Wereski.

Burt: 1-3, R, 2B, K

Jung: 0-2, RBI, 2 BB

Gomber: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The series is tied up heading into a 7:15 p.m. ET start on Saturday.

Erie SeaWolves 2, Hartford Yard Goats 1 (box)

Lucas Elissalt’s Double-A debut went very well, and the SeaWolves got good work out of the bullpen on a night when both lineups were muted.

The right-hander has seen his velocity tick up this season and with some riding life and excellent extension, his fastball is presenting a problem, even for more experienced hitters. Elissalt went 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, while striking out nine on the day. He touched 97 mph with the heater, averaged 94-95 mph, and flashed good sliders and changeups, though both pitches are still a little inconsistent. He also mixed in his good low 80’s power curveball to good effect. He has work ahead to sharpen his command, particularly of the slider-changeup combo, but his progress has gone almost exactly as hoped in the preseason after a slow start for him. There’s plenty of time to tune things up, and the 22-year-old’s raw stuff is coming along nicely while his walk rate continues to drop. Elissalt should be regarded among the club’s top pitching prospects at this point.

The SeaWolves had some early chances to score but didn’t cash in. Woody Hadeen led off the fourth, and with one out, Zyhir Hope doubled the opposite way to get Hadeen to third. A grounder to shortstop from Andrew Jenkins saw Hadeen cut down at the plate, and they failed to score.

In the fifth, Luke Shliger walked with one out, and Joe Campagna doubled him to third. Patrick Lee walked, loading the bases, and Hadeen walked to force in a run. Peyton Graham lifted a fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly to score Campagna for a 2-0 lead.

Marco Jimenez took over from Elissalt and allowed the Goats only run. Tanner Kohlhepp, Johan Simon, and Wandisson Charles closed this one out without much issue.

Shliger: 2-3, R, 3B, BB, K, CS

Campagna: 2-4, R, K

Hope: 1-4, 2B, 2 K

Elissalt: 4.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:10 p.m. ET start on Saturday with the SeaWolves holding a 3-1 lead in the series.

West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Lansing Lugnuts 3 (box)

The Whitecaps showed off the home run power in this one, launching four long balls and getting good work from their bullpen.

They got off to a fast start as Jackson Strong led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot to right center field. That was the center fielder’s 12th of the season and second in as many days. Bryce Rainer then crushed his 11th of the year to dead center for a 2-0 lead.

JoJo Ingrassia tossed three innings to start the ’Caps off. He allowed a run in the second inning before turning it over to Preston Howey.

In the bottom of the third, Rainer singled and Beau Ankeney continued his rampage with a screamer over the left field wall for a two-run homer.

Howey allowed a run in the fourth. Juanmi Vasquez threw two scoreless innings, while Luke Hoskins and Luke Stofel handled it from there, with Hoskins allowing a run in the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ankeney went deep yet again. That’s seven home runs in 14 games at High-A for the first baseman and he’s shown plus power to all fields consistently this year. In his first pro season as an 11th round pick out of Loyala, Ankeney now has 22 home runs total in 97 games. His relatively high chase and whiff rates still suggest that you shouldn’t get too excited, but there’s no getting around the fact that he is just hammering the baseball with regularity. Let’s just see if his approach improves enough over time to trim some of the punchouts from his profile.

Ankeney: 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR

Rainer: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, K

Santana: 1-3, BB, K

Ingrassia: 3.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start in West Michigan on Saturday with the Whitecaps up 3-1 in the series. They are now effectively tied with the Great Lakes Loons in the East division.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 3, Bradenton Marauders 2 (box)

Malachi Witherspoon bounced back to throw a pretty good game in this one.

However, it didn’t start out that way. After a delay, Witherspoon took the mound and the first batter of the game reached on a comebacker that he couldn’t handle. He hit the next batter and then walked the bases loaded. Three consecutive strikeouts got him out of it, illustrating the deeply Jekyll and Hyde performance he’s displayed in his first pro season.

Witherspoon then locked in and went 4.2 innings, scattering three hits and two walks without a run allowed, while punching out seven. The question is can he do this for a few starts in a row.

Jesus Pinto walked in the second inning after Zach MacDonald walked and stole second. MacDonald was thrown out trying to steal third, but Pinto advanced and eventually scored on a pickoff attempt for a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Pinto led off with a single. Anibal Salas lined out, but Hunter Dobbins walked, and Javier Osorio reached on an infield single to load the bases and Pinto scored on a hit batter.

So it was 2-0, and Jorge Guzman gave up an unearned run in the seventh. Donye Evans blew the save in the top of the ninth, but kept it a 2-2 game.

In the bottom half, Angel De Los Santos singled sharply and took second on an error. Ronald Ramirez singled him over to third, and then stole second base. MacDonald struck out, but it was Pinto up again, and he paddled a ground ball single up the middle for the game winner.

Pinto: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB

Osorio: 3-4, 2B, K

De Los Santos: 1-4, R, BB, K

Witherspoon: 4.2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers lead 3-1 heading into a 6:00 p.m. ET start on Saturday.