MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – NORWICH, CT – Stephen Head tied a franchise record by becoming just the fifth player in franchise history with three home runs in a game, and J.D. Martin tossed five shutout innings as Akron snapped a season-high four-game losing streak with a 9-6 win over Connecticut before 3,186 fans at Dodd Stadium Wednesday night. The Aeros improved to 74-57 while the Defenders fell to 65-64. Coupled with Harrisburg’s loss in Trenton, Akron’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot dropped to six.

Both Martin and Connecticut starter Ben Snyder stranded multiple runners in scoring position over the first three frames, but Akron broke the game open with four runs in the top of the fourth. Wes Hodges opened the inning with a first-pitch single to right field, and Head followed with a towering drive that stayed fair by maybe a foot to make it 2-0. A pair of singles from Matt Whitney and Nathan Panther put runners at first and second with one away, and a base hit from Damaso Espino and a fielder’s choice from newcomer Jerad Head doubled the lead to 4-0.

Stephen Head crushed his second homer of the game to right-center in the fifth, a solo shot to make it 5-0. Akron added three more in the sixth on a two-run throwing error by Defenders reliever Josh Sharpless and an RBI double from Brandon Pinckney, and Head then capped his night with another solo bomb leading off the seventh. He had a chance to become the first player in franchise history to ever hit four home runs in a game, but got nothing to hit in his final at-bat and walked in the ninth.

The Defenders made things far too interesting in the bottom of the ninth, scoring four runs against closer Randy Newsom in a non-save situation before Wisconsin native Scott Roehl got the final two outs with the tying run at the plate to preserve the win.

Martin (10-3) earned the win with five scoreless innings, and hasn’t allowed a run in his last 15.2 innings. He held Connecticut to just four hits and two walks while striking out three, and also stranded four runners in scoring position. Snyder (1-6) was touched for five runs and nine hits in five innings, walking none and striking out two. Roehl’s save was his sixth in eight chances.

Head finished 3-4 with four RBI, and matched Wyatt Toregas’ three-homer game on July 2^nd. Pinckney, Whitney and Espino all finished with two hits, and the nine runs in the game equaled Akron’s offensive output from the previous eight games combined.

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