Detroit Tigers minor league report: Opening week fireworks

Erie SeaWolves (2-1) – T1st in Eastern League Southwest

The Erie SeaWolves began their season with a small, three-game series at home against a very talented Akron RubberDucks squad. And, despite hitting just .200 as a team and striking out a staggering 47 times in three games, Erie came out of the series with a pair of wins.

Erie held Akron to just two hits in the first game of the season, winning 2-0 behind a terrific start from Reese Olson (4IP, H, 0ER, BB, 7K), outstanding bullpen work, and big hits from Quincy Nieporte and Dane Myers. Saturday’s contest was a spectacular display of pitching, with SeaWolves starter Garrett Hill (4IP, H, 2BB, 6K) shutting down the RubberDucks, and Akron’s electric pitching duo of Daniel Espino and Xzavion Curry combining to strike out 16 batters in 8.1 innings. But Kerry Carpenter and Gage Workman both hit home runs against Espino, and Erie pulled out a 3-2 win on a walk-off wild pitch.

Akron managed to salvage one win in the series on Sunday, scoring twice early off starter Austin Bergner (3IP, 2H, 2ER, 3BB, 4K), and then plating two late runs to win 4-2. Catcher Dillon Dingler had a solid day for the Howlers, though, blasting his first home run of the season, and cutting down a runner on the basepaths.

Erie hits the road for the first time this season with a six-game set against the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.