Clippers fall in extras, 4-3

SCRANTON - It took extra innings, but the Columbus Clippers fell to the Scranton/Wilks-Barre Yankees Thursday afternoon, 4-3.

The Clippers (17-16) dropped the finale of a four-game set with the Yankees (17-16), and with the loss, Scranton/WB took the series, 3-1. Columbus’ lone win came on Tuesday, 1-0, before the club dropped three-consecutive games for just the third time this season.

Scranton/WB scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game and force extra innings.

After Columbus went scoreless in the top of the tenth inning, the Yankees got runners on first-and-third base with two outs, and were able to put a run across. Scranton/WB catcher Gustavo Molina laced a line-drive single to left field, easily scoring first baseman Steve Pearce, who led off the inning with a double, to win the game.

Clippers’ right-hander Jeremy Accardo took the loss, pitching 1.2 shutout innings before giving up the game-winning hit.

Right-hander Cody Allen recorded a blown save in the loss, giving up a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to Yankees designated hitter Jack Cust. Allen, after looking untouchable on the mound for most of the season at various levels of the minor leagues, has given up four runs and seven hits in his last 5.1 innings of work with Columbus.

The Clippers’ bullpen’s inability to close spoiled a solid outing by right-hander Corey Kluber, who gave up one run on five hits in six innings of work while striking out four.

After falling behind, 1-0, after one frame, Columbus seemed to take control of the game after the fifth inning with Kluber putting up zeros and the Clippers’ offense coming alive, scoring three runs in the fourth and fifth inning to get up, 3-1.

Back-to-back doubles from right fielder Chad Huffman and designated hitter Jose Lopez put the Clippers’ first run on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. Lopez, who went 3-for-5 in the game with an RBI, scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly to right field by first baseman Beau Mills.

The Clippers added another run in the top of the fifth inning on a single to right field by Huffman, who went 3-for-5, before falling in extras.

Columbus will face Pawtucket in a four-game series in Rhode Island before returning home to Huntington Park for an eight-game home stand that begins with a four-game set against Syracuse.

Andrew Holleran is a third-year journalism student at The Ohio State University. You can follow him on Twitter @andrewjholleran or reach him via e-mail at holleran.9@buckeyemail.osu.edu.