The Senators and SeaWolves meet in the finale of their six game set and for the final time this season on City Island this afternoon. Erie holds a three games to two lead in the series and the Sens are looking to close out the first half and leave town with a win and split in their pocket. Erie currently holds a one game lead over the Sens in the season series at nine games to eight.

The Sens will hand the ball to reliever Jared Simpson, after scheduled starter Connor Van Scoyoc was removed from the start. It’s possible Jared is just the opener and Van Scoyoc will come in after his day is over but we’ll have to wait and see how Sens Skipper Delino DeShields handles that today. Erie turns to LHP Andrew Sears, who makes his second appearance with Erie and second of the series. He pitched against the Sens in game one of the series. Sears went 3 2/3IP, 1R, 2H, 1BB, 6K in the start.

The SeaWolves and the Senators for some Father’s Day matinee baseball on City Island. First pitch is scheduled for 1 o’clock.

SeaWolves Game 6 lineup: 1. Seth Stephenson LF 2. Brett Callahan CF 3. John Peck SS 4. Thayron Liranzo C 5. Justice Bigbie RF 6. Chris Meyers DH 7. Izzac Pacheco DH 8. Andrew Jenkins 1B 9. Peyton Graham 2B

Senators Game 6 lineup: 1. Johnathan Thomas CF 2. Cayden Wallace SS 3. Sam Petersen LF 4. Caleb Lomavita DH 5. Ethan Petry 1B 6. Leandro Pineda RF 7. Kervin Pichardo 3B 8. Cortland Lawson 2B 9. Kyle Hayes C

Despite the rainbow after a brief shower over City Island last night, it was anything but the Senators night. Erie controlled the entirety of the game from start to finish. Erie started in the first inning in a game that closely resembled the start of Friday night’s game. A single, a walk, a HBP, a double and a fielder’s choice and the Sens found themselves down 3-0 before they could answer the bell in the first inning. It never improved from there. The Senators got their first hit in the 3rd inning and didn’t get another one until the 6th and then another one in the 8th, which would be the only three they’d have on the evening. After a promising two game stretch Wednesday and Thursday, the offense has gone quiet, which has been a worrisome trend in the first half. Erie had 8 runs on 10 hits. Erie had plenty of stars in last night’s game. Seth Stephenson, Peyton Graham, Justice Bigbie and Andrew Jenkins to name a few. The big star of the night was Erie starter Kenny Serwa. He didn't make it through 5 to get the win but he deserved every bit of it. His knuckle ball was dancing and kept Senators batters off balance all evening. Erie would go on to defeat the Sens 8-0 to take a 3-2 series lead.

On Deck…

The Senators travel to Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, MD to take on the Chesapeake Bay Sox. Game 1 of the 6 game set is scheduled for Tuesday night with first pitch at 6:35 PM. The Sens rotation for the series has not yet been announced but Game 1 should be RHP Josh Randall’s turn in the rotation.

In the hole…

After the six game set with the Bay Sox, the Sens return back to City Island on Tuesday, June 30th. The Sens welcome the first half division winning Richmond Flying Squirrels for a six game set.

The Sens wrap up the first half of the season with the completion of today’s game against Erie. The Sens will either finish 1 game above or below .500 for the first half. The Sens can finish third in the division with a win today and an Akron loss. Near .500 and middle of the pack in the division is an appropriate outcome for this team in the first half. The team couldn’t get anything going with any kind of sustainment including offense or winning games. The only sustained facet of the game the Senators had in the first half was their bullpen. For all intents and purposes, the bullpen has pitched pretty well consistently in the first half. Obviously, in baseball, especially the minor leagues, sustainment is not daily.

There are several teams across the Eastern League who would likely admit that they’re welcoming the “new season” of the second half. You can count the Harrisburg Senators as one of those ball clubs and maybe one of the ones who’s looking forward to it the most. The Sens are loaded with talent across the board, a talent which has been inconsistent at the plate. It's very plausible to assume that this team will find its stride in the second half and the young players will find their comfort zone. The Senators could benefit from the addition of another arm for their starting rotation for the stretch run. We’re anxious to see how it plays out and we’ll be covering every bit of the 2nd half!