Jake Holton walks it off for Erie; Bryce Rainer’s reign of terror continues in Lakeland

Scores, news, and notes from around the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

Toledo Mud Hens 2, Iowa Cubs 1 (box )

This was a very well pitched game with no run scoring until the Hens pulled it together late and put a pair of runs on the board to win.

Lael Lockhart Jr. got the start, and the Cubs could do nothing against him. The left-hander tossed five innings of one-hit ball, and then Matt Manning came on for two perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts.

The Hens’ offense had a scoring chance against Jordan Wicks in the bottom of the first. Matt Vierling doubled with one out, and after Hao-Yu Lee moved him to third with a sacrifice fly, Jahmai Jones was hit by a pitch and then stole second. Unfortunately, Ryan Kreidler grounded one back to Wicks to strand the runners. The Hens loaded the bases in the second on singles from Carlos Mendoza and RIley Unroe, and a walk to Austin Murr. Again, they stranded the runners. A leadoff triple in the fourth from Mendoza was also wasted, and it would’ve felt like they were giving this one away were it not for the fact that the Cubs could do nothing with Hens pitching.

Finally, in the bottom of the eighth, Jones doubled with one out and Mendoza singled him home after a Kreidler strikeout. Mendoza went on to steal second, and Riley Unroe walked, but a bigger inning eluded them as Stephen Scott struck out.

Ricky Vanasco handled the eighth, but in the top of the ninth he allowed the Cubs to tie things up. However, in the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Navigato drew a one-out walk and moved to second on an Akil Baddoo single. Hao-Yu Lee struck out, but Jones strafed a double to right field to walk this one off.

The Detroit Tigers announced on Wednesday evening that outfielder Manuel Margot has been activated and then outrighted to Triple-A Toledo. One would then assume that Matt Vierling will rejoin the Tigers on the homestand. Reliever John Brebbia should also be ready to return shortly after two rehab appearances in Toledo.

Lockhart: 5.0 IP, 0 R, H, 2 BB, 4 K

Jones: 2-4, R, RBI, 2 2B, SB

Mendoza: 4-4, RBI, 2B, 3B, SB

Vierling: 1-4, 2B, K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start set for Thursday night at Fifth Third Field.

Erie SeaWolves 6, Altoona Curve 4 (F/12)(box )

The SeaWolves made it two in a row over the Curve with a 12th inning walkoff victory on Wednesday.

This was another well pitched game from the start. Between the two starters they retired the first 15 hitters in order. The SeaWolves got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third to Ben Malgeri, and then Brady Allen was hit by a pitch. A Danny Serretti double scored them both and the SeaWolves had a 2-0 lead.

Carlos Pena was cruising along, but Termarr Johnson launched a solo shot to cut the SeaWolves lead in half to start the fourth inning.

In the bottom half, Roberto Campos walked with one out and Eliezer Alfonzo singled. A Malgeri grounder forced Alfonzo, but Allen slapped an infield single and Campos scored to make it 3-1.

The Curve fought back with a run off of Pena in the top of the fifth, and one off of reliever Andrew Magno, who walked the leadoff man and then moved him to third with two wild pitches, in the sixth to tie things up at 3-3. At that point the two bullpens locked everything down. Matt Merrill spun three strong innings for the SeaWolves, striking out six. Meanwhile the Curve bullpen retired the SeaWolves in order over the final four regular innings.

Merrill kept the Manfred runner from scoring in the top of the ninth, but the Curve returned serve in the bottom half. The SeaWolves got the runner to third, but on a grounder from Justice Bigbie, the Curve threw home to save the game and then doubled off Bigbie at first.

Drew Sommers again kept the Curve from plating the runner on second in the 11th, but again the SeaWolves failed to score as well.

Finally in the 12th, a ground out and a fly out scored the runner before Sommers struck out Sammy Siani to end the inning.

So the Seawolves were down 4-3. A Trei Cruz ground out moved Danny Serretti to third and a Jim Jarvis sacrifice fly tied the game 4-4. Bigbie followed with a single, and then Jake Holton stepped to the dish and crushed his seventh home run to walk this one off in style.

Serretti: 1-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B

Holton: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 K

Pena: 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Thursday at UPMC Park as the SeaWolves look to make it three in a row.

Lansing Lugnuts 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box )

For one night, the Whitecaps just didn’t swing the bats too well. Lugnuts lefty Gage Jump had them in check early on and they never got anything started against the Lugnuts bullpen either.

Carlos Marcano got the start, and he allowed a solo shot to Sahid Valenzuela in the third inning but was otherwise solid in a four-inning outing.

The ‘Caps offense put together their first threat in the third when Andrew Jenkins reached on an error to start the bottom of the inning. Brett Callahan and Peyton Graham struck out, but Max Clark lined yet another single to left field, and they were briefly in business until Seth Stephenson grounded out to end the inning.

Marcano left the game after four innings, and Carlos Lequerica took over. He pitched through a little traffic in the top of the fifth. In the bottom half, back-to-back two-out doubles from Callahan and Peyton Graham tied the game at 1-1.

Preston Howey took over in the seventh for West Michigan, and he dug himself a hole with a one-out walk to Valenzuela. A single followed, but Howey popped out the next hitter and was nearly out of the inning. Instead, he hit the next batter to load the bases, and Nate Nankil doubled in two runs to make it 3-1.

The Whitecaps never really threatened until the bottom of the ninth when Josue Briceño singled with one out, and then took second on a passed ball. A John Peck ground out moved Briceño to third, but Jack Penney grounded out to end it.

Callahan: 1-3, R, 2B, K

Marcano: 4.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 K

Coming Up Next: With the series tied at a game apiece, the two clubs meet up at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thursday.

Bradenton Marauders 12, Lakeland Flying Tigers 3 (box )

Flying Tigers took a rare beating in this one. Lucas Elissalt and Duque Hebbert with both rocked in long innings, and the offense fought back just enough for the pitching staff to lose it again.

Bryce Rainer doubled with one out in the first, but that went nowhere, and Elissalt then took a beating as the Marauders scored four runs in the bottom half. Ricardo Hurtado doubled in the top of the second, but he too was stranded.

In the third, Woody Hadeen reached on an error, and then rode home on Rainer’s third home run of the season. That one left the bat at 110.9 mph to straightaway center field. In the fifth, Rainer’s day continued as he smashed a line drive single to left field to score Hadeen. It was a 4-3 Bradenton lead, but that was as close as the Flying Tigers would get.

Duque Hebbert was knocked around for five runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined. Chris Williams allowed a run in the seventh, and finally, Shay Timmer allowed two more in the eighth as the Marauders cruised to victory.

Not much to take away from this one other than that Bryce Rainer is looking tremendous in the early going.

Rainer: 3-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, BB

Hurtado: 2-4, 2B

Hadeen: 1-4, 2 R, BB

Elissalt (L, 0-1): 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: With the series tied up, the two clubs meet up again at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, out since the end of the 2023 season, will begin a rehab assignment with the Flying Tigers starting on Thursday. The right-hander was quite impressive in the second half of the 2023 season, but in returning from Tommy John surgery, he’ll likely need plenty of time to build himself up.