Aeros Drop Opener Of Championship Series

The Akron Aeros lost Game 1 of the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series to the Trenton Thunder, 5-3, Tuesday night. The Aeros, making their third consecutive ELCS appearance and fourth in five years, won the championship in 2003 and 2005. They will have to battle from behind after making a costly error that helped the host Thunder triumph.

An error by Aeros starter Adam Miller helped Trenton score twice in the bottom of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead.

After retiring the first eight batters he faced, four of them on strikeouts, Miller yielded a ground-ball single. The next batter, Reegie Corona got credit for a single and went to second when Miller fielded his grounder, but threw wildly to first base for an error, putting runners on second and third. Austin Jackson followed with a two-run single to right.

Miller, who went 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 19 games including 11 starts at Triple-A Buffalo this season, gave up three hits and struck out five without a walk over four innings. The right-hander, who worked only 65 1/3 innings for the Bisons because of recurring elbow soreness throughout the season, was sent down to Akron to continue to rebuild his arm strength in order to possibly be available to the Indians in post-season play if the need arises.

The Aeros' attack was led by Trevor Crowe and Jordan Brown, both drafted by the Indians out of the University of Arizona in 2005.

Center-fielder Crowe went 0-for-2, but drew three walks, stole two bases and scored twice. Brown, recently voted league MVP, went 2-for-4, including a solo homer in the eighth inning that got Akron within 5-3.

Ryan Goleski and Michael Aubrey each had RBI singles, in the first and fifth innings, respectively, while Argenis Reyes went 2-for-4.

Right-hander Jeffrey Stevens worked a scoreless fifth and lefty Ryan Edell a scoreless sixth before running into trouble in the seventh.

Edell was recently called up from Class A Kinston, where he went 11-6 with a 3.80 ERA and one save in 31 games, including 17 starts.

He gave up two singles and left with two runners on and two out in favor of Randy Newsom, who yielded an RBI single to the only batter he faced. Rich Rundles then gave up a two-run double before getting a strikeout to end the inning.

Michael Finocchi worked a perfect eighth for Akron, which mounted a mild threat in the ninth. With two outs, Reyes singled, but Crowe, representing the tying run, struck out to end the game.

EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
GAME 1
Tuesday, September 11
6:05 pm – Waterfront Park, Trenton, N.J.
Trenton Thunder 5, Akron Aeros 3

GAME 2 Wednesday, September 12
6:05 pm – Waterfront Park, Trenton, N.J.
Akron LHP Chuck Lofgren vs. LHP Chase Wright

GAME 3
Friday, September 14
7:05 pm – Canal Park, Akron
Akron LHP Jeremy Sowers vs. RHP Alan Horne

GAME 4 (if necessary)
Saturday, September 15
7:05 pm – Canal Park, Akron
Akron RHP Bobby Brownlie vs. RHP Dan McCutchen

GAME 5 (if necessary)
Sunday, September 16
7:05 pm – Canal Park, Akron
Akron RHP Adam Miller vs. RHP Jeff Marquez