The Columbus Clippers (23-26) walked off 4-3 to beat the Charlotte Knights (16-34) in extras on Memorial Day Monday. Elliot Johnson won it in the 12th inning with a single past a diving Carlos Sanchez at second base to score Luke Carlin and win it for Columbus. The win ends a six-game losing streak.
Donnie Veal (1-3, 5.56 ERA) took the loss as he allowed the winning run in the 12th. Scott Barnes (3-2, 4.34 ERA) was the winner after pitching a perfect top of the 12th.
Tyler Cloyd (1-3, 5.23 ERA) had his third quality start, but received no decision on the day. Cloyd held Charlotte to two runs, one earned, on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Charlie Leesman (1-4, 3.42 ERA) pitched extremely well for Charlotte as he held Columbus to a Carlos Moncrief seeing-eye single. He gave up two runs, one earned, on one hit with three walks and seven strikeouts in six innings.
A double and a blooper turned into the first run of the game. With one out in the second Charlotte’s Andy Wilkins doubled for the first hit of the game. With two outs a bloop single by Tyler Saladino gave the Knights a 1-0 lead.
The Clippers scored two on wild pitches in the third. Moncrief led-off the inning with the only hit they would get on Leesman with a bouncer back up the middle just past Sanchez. Tyler Holt tried to sacrifice Moncrief to second with a bunt, but a poor throw by Leesman allowed Holt to reach. After Luke Carlin made it second and third with a sacrifice bunt a pair of wild pitches by Leesman scored Moncrief and Holt.
Charlotte tied the game after an unearned run scored in the fourth.
With Austin Adams in for Cloyd the lead-off man in the seventh, Saldino, got his third hit of the game. Saladino tied Josh Phegly for a team-high six homers as he gave Charlotte a 3-2 lead.
Columbus got the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base in the seventh with one out, but failed to score in the inning. They would also get the tying run aboard in the ninth on a David Cooper walk. Tim Fedroff pinch ran for Cooper and got to second on a Moncrief two-out walk. Fedroff scored the tying run scored on an RBI double by Tyler Holt, his first Triple-A hit, to send it to extras a 3-3 game.
After two and one-half scoreless extra frames Carlin led off the 12th inning with a single and got to second on a Jose Ramirez bunt single. Johnson won it on a single back up the middle.
Moncrief recorded two outfield assists in the game. He has thrown out 11 base runners on the season. His career high is 21 with Lake County in 2011.
Game two is Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Huntington Park. The Clippers send Kyle Davies (1-2, 4.07 ERA) to the mound against Erik Johnson (0-1, 4.50 ERA) for Charlotte.
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