Jeremy Hamilton, in the game after an injury to Harold Garcia, drove an RBI single into the LF corner in the ninth inning to break a 0-0 tie and give Lakewood a 1-0 win over Hagerstown, and a series sweep on Sunday at FirstEnergy Park.

Tyler Cloyd was excellent in the win, throwing seven shutout innings, though Ryan Bergh (1-1) picked up the win with two shutout innings of relief.

Box score here. Full recap below the fold.

LAKEWOOD, NJ – After eight full innings of scoreless baseball, the Lakewood BlueClaws got a run in the ninth and swept the Hagerstown Suns for their fourth win in a row by the score of 1-0. This was also the second straight shutout for the BlueClaws (10-6) and a good way to end a five-game homestand in which the BlueClaws won four games.

The breakthrough came in the ninth inning of the game as Jesus Villegas singled to lead off the inning, followed by a fielders’ choice, a single by Leandro Castro and a walk-off single by Hamilton, who came into the game in the fifth inning for an injured Harold Garcia. Troy Hanzawa scored on the ball that was hit down the left field line and the BlueClaws won the game for the second time of the season in their last at-bat.

Despite threatening early in the game the BlueClaws could not push a run to the plate as Ricardo Pecina, the Suns starter, worked a nice 5 2/3 innings before being taken out in favor of Carols Peralta who ended a threat in the sixth and pitched a quick seventh inning.

Cloyd, in his fourth start of the season, was magnificent in seven innings of work. Despite not factoring in the decision, Cloyd allowed just four hits, one walk while striking out nine. He is second on the team in strikeouts with 22. Ryan Bergh (1-1) worked a quick eighth inning and ninth inning, facing just six batters and he picked up his first win of the season.

Ricardo Pecina pitched very well and did not factor in the decision as he went 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball. He was relieved by Carlos Peralta who kept the game scoreless until Osvoldo Rodriguez (0-2) came on in the bottom of the eighth and then faltered in the ninth.

After the victory, the BlueClaws will have their first scheduled off day before a long road trip that will take the BlueClaws first to Delmarva to play the Shorebirds. This season, the BlueClaws are 1-3 against the Shorebirds. Jason Knapp will be the starting pitcher on Monday and he will be opposed by righty Oliver Drake. The BlueClaws will return home on May 5^th.

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