- 06-15-2018

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Lake County Sentinel

Captains complete sweep of Lugnuts with 4-3 walk off win

BY TIM SHIRER

CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER

(EASTLAKE, OH) - The Lake County Captains and Lansing Lugnuts played game three of their three game series on Thursday night. The Captains took the first two games of the series, game one on a walk off in 10 innings 6-5 and game two in blow out fashion 11-3. Thursday night the Captains completed the sweep with a 4-3 walk off win in front of 2,421 happy fans at Classic Park.

The Lugnuts got on the board first in the third inning when Matt Morgan launched a Kirk McCarty pitch over the left field wall. The long ball for Morgan’s was his first of 2018. McCarty started on the mound for Lake County. Interestingly McCarty hit Morgan with the first pitch he threw to him in his next at bat.

Lake County came back and tied the game in the fourth inning when Oscar Gonzalez cleared the fence by the right field foul pole. The home run was Gonzalez's 10th of the season.

The Captains took the lead in the sixth inning. With two outs in the inning the Captains belted back to back doubles. The first double came off the bat of Jose Vicente, followed by Gonzalez driving home Vicente and putting the Captains on top 2-1.

The Captains increased the lead to 3-1 in the seventh inning when Todd Isaacs singled and advanced to second on an error to lead off the inning. With Josh Rolette at the plate Buffo uncorked a wild pitch and Isaacs moved to third. Isaacs then scored when Rolette hit a sacrifice fly ball to center field.

The Lugnuts rallied in the ninth inning and tied the game 3-3 as reliever Zack draper loaded the bases and Dace Kime entered the game and walked the first hitter he faced allowing the tying run to cross the plate. Kime then struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

The Captains were able to end it quickly in extra innings thanks to the runner that started the inning at second base, commonly referred to as “The Rob Manfred Runner”. The runner was Jose Medina and he moved to third when the leadoff hitter Ulysses “The President” Cantu laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. Medina then scored when J.J. Berardi belted a single to left field and Medina crossed home plate giving the Captains the 4-3 walk off win, their eighth of the season at Classic Park.

Dace Kime picked up the win in relief. Kimie entered the game, blew the save and then picked up the win and improves to 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Claudio Custodio took the loss in relief. With the loss Custodio falls to 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA.

On the offensive side no Captains has been hotter than Gonzalez in the last ten games. Over that span the lanky right fielder is hitting .295 with four home runs, 12 RBI, six runs scored and 13 hits.

The sweep was the Captains second straight at home, they swept Dayton in a three-game series last week, which puts their current home winning streak at six games, the longest of the season.

The Captains will continue the homestand on Friday night with game one of a three game series with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The Hot Rods have not named a starter for game one. Juan Hillman will be on the mound for Lake County. Hillman, a lefty is and is 0-7 6.27 ERA.