Lakewood BlueClaws win first half title

LAKEWOOD, NJ – The Lakewood BlueClaws have locked up the first half title and the playoff spot that goes along with it which is a good thing based on the 14-5 loss on Sunday, ending the first half of the season. The BlueClaws made six errors in the field.

The BlueClaws (42-26) took the lead in the first inning as Harold Garcia walked, stole a base and scored on a single by Jeremy Hamilton to make the game 1-0 but it was all downhill from there.

The Captains (31-36) then scored three runs in the second inning, one of four innings with more than two runs scored on their way to 12 runs.

The Captains got four of their runs off starter Trevor May (0-1), three earned, before he was relieved by Heitor Correa in the fourth.

Correa never got things going either as he was hit for five hits and four earned runs in his four innings of work, including a two run home run by Nate Recknagel in the sixth.

Finally, Jacob Diekman pitched and the trend continued, as he allowed four hits and five runs, two earned in the final two innings of the game in the loss.

The bright spots for the BlueClaws were Brendan Akashian, hitting a solo home run on fathers’ day with his dad in attendance and Steve Susdorf having two extra base hits in consecutive at-bats. The game will also have no bearing on the first half championship the BlueClaws won, going away in the late stages of the season.

For the Captains the win went to TJ McFarland (3-3), who came on in a relief role and pitched 4.2 while allowing three runs.

The BlueClaws will take three days off for the All-Star break, where the BlueClaws will be represented with six players and manager Dusty Wathan, the most in the league, before returning home for a nine-game homestand on Thursday with the Delmarva Shorebirds. All sixteen teams will have a 0-0 record on Thursday.