The Columbus Clippers (61-55) crushed the Pawtucket Red Sox (63-53) 9-4 Sunday afternoon. A day after Zach Walters provided the winning RBI in extras the new Clipper drove in six in the blowout win.
Toru Murata (2-2, 4.93 ERA) pitched very well for the second straight start with Columbus. He went six and one-third innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Murata had a 15 inning scoreless streak broken up in the seventh. Ryan Verdugo (1-1, 2.31 ERA) made his first start with the PawSox, but didn’t make it through the fourth. He pitched three and two-thirds innings and allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
In the top of the second Audy Ciriaco jumped on a pitch to give the Clippers a 1-0 lead. With two outs Ciriaco hit a solo shot to left, his 12th.
Ciriaco continued to add to his career season. The 12 homers for Ciriaco are tied a single season high for him in Triple-A. He hit 12 in 2012 with Toledo. The homer was RBI 59 for him, his most in one Triple-A season.
The Clippers rallied for more in the fourth. After a one-out walk by Giovanny Urshela Zach Walters drove him in with a single. Carlos Moncrief walked with two outs and Elliot Johnson drove in a run with an RBI single.
Walters continued his assault on the baseball as a Clipper in the seventh. He came up with the bases loaded in the seventh and crushed a grand slam to left, his second homer of the day. The grand slam was the first by Columbus in 2014.
Walters has crushed the ball in his short Clippers career. In three games with Columbus he is 7-14 with a double, two homers, and eight runs batted in. Six of his RBI came in Sunday’s win. He has 17 homers in the Triple-A season between Columbus and Syracuse, most on the Clippers.
Tyler Cloyd (9-5, 3.91 ERA) is on the mound Monday night in his first start since his no-hitter last Wednesday. He will face Henry Owens (NR) and the PawSox at 7:05 p.m.
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