Eli Morgan and Cody Anderson both stellar in 2019 debuts

Columbus Clippers 2, Indianapolis Indians 5

Box Score · Clippers fall to 3-1

Columbus didn’t have much offense to back up some excellent pitching.

Starting pitcher Cody Anderson made his 2019 debut, tossing 3.0 shutout innings on one hit while striking out four and walking none. Piggy-back partner Michael Peoples complimented Anderson with 4.0 stellar innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits while striking out four and walking two.

Columbus took the lead with two runs in the seventh inning and Henry Martinez pitched a strong eighth inning, but Martinez was brought back out for the ninth, where he allowed two runners to reach base before getting an out. Nick Wittgren then promptly allowed both inherited runners to score plus two more runs of his own, which was more than enough to lose the game.

No one had a standout offensive game for the Clippers, although veteran catcher Tim Federowicz managed to go 2-3 at the dish from the nine-hole in the lineup.

Akron RubberDucks 2, Altoona Curve 3

Box Score · RubberDucks fall to 0-4

Another strong pitching performance, another loss.

Zach Plesac tossed 6.0 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three and walking none. He left with the game tied 2-2 thanks to RBI singles from Mitch Longo and Logan Ice, who both went 2-4 at the plate. Longo also stole a base.

Other offensive contributors were Daniel Johnson, who went 1-3 with a walk, and Andrew Calica, who also went 1-3 with a walk.

Reliever Argenis Angulo gave up one run in eighth inning, a run that back-end bullpen mate Dalbert Siri inherited and allowed to score, which was enough to lose the contest.

Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 0

Box Score · Hillcats improve to 3-1

Eli Morgan was sensational in his 2019 debut, tossing 6.0 shutout innings of one-hit ball while striking out six and walking one.

Jonathan Teaney and Jared Robinson preserved the shutout with three innings of scoreless relief.

Offensively, no one had a multi-hit game, although Gavin Collins and Oscar Gonzalez both had an RBI doubles and Trent Brooks went 1-3 with his second home run of the season and a walk.

Lake County Captains 0, West Michigan Loons 6

Box Score · Captains fall to 3-1

The Lake County offense just couldn’t get out of first gear on Sunday.

Josh Rolette and Will Benson both reached base safely twice. Benson stole a base, as did Quentin Holmes and Marcos Gonzalez. Hosea Nelson chipped in with a double.

Starting pitcher Shane McCarthy gave up three runs in 5.0 innings on three hits while striking out five and walking three. Reliever Eli Lingos was knocked around for three runs in one inning while Aaron Pinto tossed a scoreless two innings of relief.