Not all home runs are created equal.
The New Hampshire had three home runs on Saturday night, but they still were not enough to overcome a five-run Akron third inning powered by Bobby Bradley’s grand slam.
Tyler Krieger’s sacrifice fly brought home Joe Sever for the inning’s other run.
Bradley added another solo home run in the seventh, the third of the day following the blast by Eric Haase earlier in the contest.
New Hampshire’s three home runs were all one-run shots: Danny Jansen’s 2-1 hit over the right centerfield fence in the first, Tim Lopes’ second homer of the year toward the train tracks in left center and Matt Dean’s first four-bagger of the year in the seventh.
Gunnar Heidt also came across the plate on a fielders’ choice in the second and Richard Urena brought home Derrick Loveless with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Dean and Lopes each added two singles to their homers, Jansen added a hit as well.
For the RubberDucks, Bradley, Sever and Francisco Mejia each ended the evening with two hits apiece.
The loss went to Sean Reid-Foley (3-4), leaving after the end of Akron’s big third. Reid-Foley allowed all but one of Akron’s runs, giving up five hits and three walks, striking out two.
Matt Whitehouse (2-3) earned the win after scattering seven hits in six innings of work and Neil Holland got his fifth save of the year thanks to his efforts retiring the final five Fisher Cats batters.
Jon Harris (2-5, 5.75 ERA) gets the ball at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday for the rubber match with the RubberDucks (no pun intended.) Akron’s scheduled starter is lefty Thomas Pannone (1-1, 1.80 ERA).
