On Friday, Gabe Alvarez and his Erie SeaWolves earned their third straight trip to the Eastern League championships, and a chance to repeat as champions, with a 2-1 victory over the Akron RubberDucks.
This was a pitching duel all the way, and the SeaWolves basically had to use a bullpen game to win. They bullpen did a heck of a job, allowing just a run on five hits and three walks, striking out eight.
Jake Higginbotham was the opener, striking out two in a clean first. Starter Garrett Burhenn took over from there as Alvarez took a page from A.