Captains fall to TinCaps in eleven innings 5-4

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Lake County Sentinel

Captains fall to TinCaps in eleven innings 5-4

BY TIM SHIRER

CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER

(EASTLAKE, OH) - The Lake County Captains returned home on Thursday night from an extended road trip to Bowling Green and Lansing where they went 2-5 to begin the second half of the season. They welcomed to town the Fort Wayne TinCaps. The crowd in attendance at Classic Park of 2,495 went home disappointed as the Captains fell in 11 innings 5-4.

The Captains got on the board early in the first inning with two runs off TinCaps starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore. Gore, a first round pick by the San Diego Padres in 2017 had a rough inning, but it wasn't all his doing. Captains leadoff hitter Todd Isaacs reached base on an error by the third baseman. Isaacs then stole second base. The theft was Isaacs 17th of the season. After Nolan Jones struck out, Erlin Cerda singled to left field and Isaacs moved to third base. Oscar Gonzalez then singled, and Isaacs scored the first run of the game. With men on first and second the Captains executed a nice double steal and Cerda moved to third and Gonzalez second. Will Benson then drew a base on balls to load the bases. Jose Medina then whiffed, and Josh Rolette came to the plate, drew a walk and picked up an RBI when Cerda scored on ball four to give Lake County a 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile Captains starting pitcher Juan Hillman pitched a gem through seven and two thirds innings. He then issued his first base on balls of the night to Luis Almanzar. Then the roofed caved in on a great night when Hillman on the first pitch to Jalen Washington gave up a long home run over the left field fence to tie the game 2-2. Hillman did get finish the inning with no further damage. Hillman went eight strong innings scattering five hits, issuing only the on free pass and striking out eight TinCaps. For his work Hillman picked up a no-decision.

Unfortunately for the Captains, baseball has a commissioner who is on a mission to destroy the integrity of the game. The TinCaps started the tenth inning with a runner at second base per the new rule instituted by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. Jack Suwinski, who had made the last out in the ninth inning started tenth at second base. Suwinski moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Lopez. After Lopez was retired at first base Captains reliever and all-star Kyle Nelson retired Gabriel Arias on strikes for the second out. Then disaster struck as Nelson uncorked a wild pitch that Captains catcher Josh Rolette could not handle. The pitch went all the way to the wall of the grandstands and Suwinski trotted home with the go ahead run giving the TinCaps a 3-2 lead.

Lake County came right back in the bottom of the tenth when their Rob Manfred runner Rolette scored to tie the game 3-3 on a sacrifice fly to left field with one out by Jesse Berardi. Rolette had moved to third when the first batter of the inning Miguel Eladio executed a perfect sacrifice bunt.

The game moved to the eleventh inning and the TinCaps took advantage as not only did their RMR score, but they drove in a second run in the inning off Captains reliever Tommy DeJuneas. Both runs in the inning were unearned.

The Captains attempted to rally in the bottom of inning scoring one run, but the inning was cut short when Oscar Gonzalez hit into an unconventional double play in which he was retired at first, Isaacs scored and Nolan Jones who had reached earlier in the inning on a base on balls was retired at third base for the final out of the game trying to advance to third on the play.

Evan Miller picked up the win in relief for the TinCaps. Miller went two innings allowing one unearned on no hits and issued one base on balls. With the win Miller improves to 2-2. Tommy DeJuneas took the loss for Lake County. DeJuneas went one inning allowing two runs, both unearned on no hits and issued one base on balls. With the loss DeJuneas falls to 2-2 with a 3.49 ERA.

The Captains and TinCaps will play game two of the four game series on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Righthander Luis Patino will make the start for the TinCaps. Patino is 2-3 with a 3.26 ERA. The Captains will counter with their own righty, Gregori "Vasky" Vasquez. "Vasky is 2-4 with a 4.24 ERA.