The Erie SeaWolves pulled off a massive comeback win against the Reading Fightin Phils on Friday, turning a tight contest into a 6-3 victory with some absolute clutch hitting in the late innings. Seriously, these guys put on a show when it mattered most, with Roberto Campos and Thayron Liranzo going deep to seal the deal.
Erie’s Eighth Inning Explosion
Man, what a game the SeaWolves played. Joe Miller was on the mound, and he was sharp after a tough first inning, locking down the Phils for five straight frames after giving up an early run. But on the other side, veteran lefty Adam Seminaris was dealing, just scattering five hits over six scoreless innings, not giving the SeaWolves offense an inch. You gotta credit the Phils pitcher for that. But you knew Erie wasn’t going to stay quiet forever, right?
The breakthrough finally came in the seventh. Roberto Campos kicked things off with a single, Seth Stephenson walked, then a wild pitch moved both runners up. Viandel Pena got a sac fly to score Campos, getting them on the board! Then Patrick Lee and Peyton Graham walked, loading the bases for Woody Hadeen, who ripped a two-run single right through the infield. That put Erie up 3-1! Even with the bad luck of E.J. Exposito getting hit by a pitch and Thayron Liranzo lining into a double play right after, the momentum was shifting.
Things got wild when Zane Barnhart took over for Miller and walked Austin Murr. Nick Biddison then CRACKED a two-run shot, tying it up 3-3. But then Campos stepped up again in the top of the eighth and just ROPED a solo homer over the left wall to put Erie back on top, 4-3! Yosber Sanchez then came in and shut the Phils down in the bottom of the eighth, striking out two and making it a quick 1-2-3 inning. Total focus right there.
Liranzo Seals It, Mud Hens Implode
And if Campos’s homer wasn’t enough, Thayron Liranzo decided he wanted a piece of that action too. After Exposito walked with two outs in the top of the ninth, Liranzo MASHED a two-run shot to left-center. Boom! 6-3 SeaWolves, and that was that. Moises Rodriguez came in for the save, dealing two strikeouts and shutting down the bottom of the ninth in a clean 1-2-3 fashion. Stephenson even nabbed two stolen bases in the game, showing off that speed.
Meanwhile, the Iowa Cubs took down the Toledo Mud Hens 9-3, but man, that game was a rollercoaster of a different kind. It was a tight, one-run game for a while, with Dylan File doing a “fine” job on the mound for the Hens, letting up just two runs over six innings. But then the bullpen just imploded late. Andre Granillo got mauled for four runs in the seventh, and Tanner Rainey gave up three more! Just brutal. The Hens offense had a shot early, then Trei Cruz singled in a run in the fifth to make it 2-1, but that was as close as they got until Corey Julks homered in the ninth to make it slightly more respectable. What a wild difference in bullpen performance between those two games, huh?
Talk about a couple of games that had everything from pitching duels to late-inning power surges and bullpen meltdowns. The SeaWolves really showed some grit and explosive offense to pull off that win, with Campos and Liranzo proving that sometimes, all it takes is one swing of the bat to change everything.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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