Chris Rowley turned in a solid outing for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, who pieced together a convincing 8-1 win over the Akron Rubberducks on Friday night in Manchester.
Rowley, who has allowed just three earned runs in his last four starts, tossed seven innings Friday, allowing one run to score on an RBI groundout. Rowley struck out six with one walk and allowed three hits, lowering his ERA to 1.62. It was his third victory this season.
Akron (26-30) scored its lone run in the second inning, but New Hampshire tacked on five runs in the third inning to take a 5-1 lead. The Fisher Cats (24-35), who have won two in a row, never looked back.
Danny Jansen hit a home run, the first of his Double-A career, while Gunnar Heidt drove in two runs on two hits and Harold Ramirez, Richard Urena and Jansen provided two hits apiece.
The Fisher Cats host Akron again on Saturday for Star Wars Night. The team will wear custom R2-D2 jerseys, which will be auctioned off during the game, which starts at 7:05.