Sports fans everywhere know that peaking at the right time is essential to winning championships. After The Akron RubberDucks started their season 37-15 but went on to combine for just 18 wins between June and July, it had appeared the Ducks had played their best baseball at the wrong part of the season. However, Akron would regain their form, capture a spot in the Eastern League playoffs, and completed a sweep of the Trenton Thunder with a 2-1 victory on Friday night to secure their first Eastern League championship since 2012.
Even after beating Trenton in the first two games of the series in Akron, the Ducks undoubtedly had their biggest challenge of the series on Friday. Not only would the team have to beat the Thunder on the road, they would have to beat Trenton starter and former Tribe prospect Justus Sheffield. Sheffield, who is in the Yankee organization as a result of Cleveland’s trade for Andrew Miller, is regarded as the Yankees seventh best prospect, and the 85th best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com.
As expected, Sheffield was a tough matchup for Akron hitters, allowing just two hits and striking out five RubberDucks in 4.1 innings of work. However, he struggled with his command, walking four, including Ivan Castillo to lead off the third inning. After a Greg Allen bunt, a single by Eric Stamets, and a groundout by Jordan Smith, Castillo would score the game’s first run.
Akron would only manage one more run in the game, manufactured almost entirely by Greg Allen, who singled with one out in the fifth, and proceeded to steal second and third base. Eric Stamets would bring Allen home with a sacrifice fly to give Akron a 2-0 lead.
The second run would be all the Ducks’ pitchers needed. Starter Nick Pasquale threw 5.2 strong innings, allowing just one earned run on a solo shot by Trenton’s Sebastian Valle in the fifth inning. Outside of Valle’s solo-shot, Pasquale only allowed three hits and a walk, while striking out three.
In a 2-1 game, Akron called upon its bullpen with two outs in the sixth inning. They delivered: Cole Sulser came on first to relieve Pasquale and pitched even better, throwing 2.1 perfect innings. Louis Head would come on for the save, and didn’t let the pressure of a one run lead with a championship on the line affect him, as Head pitched a perfect ninth.
Catcher Eric Haase was named the MVP of the ELCS, despite going 0-3 in the series finale on Friday. Most notably, Haase hit a grand slam in the series opener, which propelled Akron to victory. On the series, the catcher was 3-9, with three walks and all four RBIs from the aforementioned grand slam. With the win, Akron secured their fifth-ever Eastern League championship since the franchise inception in 1997. Between the playoffs and the regular season, the Ducks final record in 2016 is 83-65.
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