The Columbus Clippers (14-15) beat the Rochester Red Wings (16-13) 6-4 Monday night thanks to the efforts of center fielder Matt Carson. With only three outfielders on the roster Carson came up big with four RBI including the game-winning runs in the eighth inning on a two-run homer to left.
Mike Zagurski (2-0, 2.31) got the win pitching a perfect eighth inning and became the pitcher of record when Carson hit his homer. A.J. Achter (0-2, 2.77 ERA) took the loss allowing two runs on two hits in the eighth, but he did record a strikeout. Mark Lowe got his seventh save of the season closing out the ninth for Columbus.
Neither starter factored into the decision, though both were fairly sharp early. Tyler Cloyd (1-2, 6.61 ERA) allowed four runs, three earned, in five innings of work on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts. Cloyd allowed all four runs in his last inning, the fifth, on a grand slam to second baseman James Beresford. One of the runners reached on an error.
Brooks Raley (0-1, 3.68 ERA) was the starter for Rochester and only allowed one hit in three innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Columbus struck first with a three-run fourth. Carlos Moncrief led off the inning with a single off reliever Ryan Pressly. With one out a double by Ryan Rohlinger made it second and third for the Clippers. A two-run double by Carson made it 2-0 and a single scoring Carson by Roberto “Robocop” Perez made it 3-0 Columbus. Rochester responded with Beresford’s grand slam to right in the fifth.
After Perez grounded out to the pitcher and scored Giovanny Urshela the game remained 4-4 until the last of the eighth. Urshela led off the frame with a triple. After Audy Ciriaco, in for Rohlinger who left with an injury after his double in the fourth, failed to plate Urshela it was up to Carson with a runner on third and one out. He provided the winning run and one more for insurance as he crushed a two-run homer, his second, to left at Huntington Park.
The grand slam by Beresford was his first homer of the season and puts his RBI total at 17, second on the team to Rochester first baseman Chris Parmelee. Carson went 3-3 and finished a triple shy of the cycle with 4 RBI against his former ball club. Carson also stole third, drew a walk and was credited with an outfield assist on a 8-6-5 putout of Oswaldo Arcia trying for a triple in the fourth.
Game two of four is a 6:35 p.m. first pitch between the Red Wings and Clippers at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.
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