Captains use big sixth inning to beat Chiefs 7-0

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Captains use big sixth inning to beat Chiefs 7-0

BY TIM SHIRER

CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER

(EASTLAKE, OH) - The Lake County Captains and Peoria Chiefs played game two of their three game series on Sunday afternoon. The Chiefs took game one 7-2 on Saturday night. Sunday’s game was more of a pitcher’s duel while the two starting pitchers were on the hill. It took one inning of the Captains taking advantage of subpar pitching to secure the win 7-0 and even the series at 1-1 sending the 3,976 fans at Classic Park home happy.

Peoria starter Parker Kelly went the first five innings shutting out the Captains on two hits and issuing only one base on balls while striking out five Lake County hitters. Kelly was relieved by Rodard Avelino. Avelino’s performance was the opposite of Kelly. After he retired Eric Rodriguez on a fly ball to start the inning, Peoria pitching coach Cale Johnson visited the mound. What ever he said to Avelino did not resonate as he didn’t retire another hitter allowing a single and four base on balls and by the time the dust had settled, he was removed from the game and had given up five runs all earned. Eli Kraus relieved Avelino to get the final two outs of the inning but he did not escape unscaved as he hit the first batter he faced and the allowed a single to Miguel Jerez to drive in two runs (both runs were Avelino’s responsibility). The final out of the inning was a strike out of Rodriguez, he had the rare honor of making two outs in the frame.

Meanwhile Zach Draper who made the start for Lake County and was brilliant as he went seven innings scattering three hits and three base on balls while striking out five Chiefs. The performance was Draper’s longest of the season. With the win the big lefthander improves to 6-2 with 2.41 ERA. Draper has pitched at three different levels in 2019, Lake County (Low-A), Lynchburg (High-A) and Akron (AA).

The Captains added two more runs in the seventh inning courtesy of a two-run home run by Ruben Cardenas. The home run was Cardenas’s 10th of the season and gave the Captains a 7-0 lead.

Avelino took the loss for the Chiefs for his one third of a disastrous inning. With the loss he falls to 0-2 with an 18.00 ERA.

The series and homestand will wrap up on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. The Chiefs will send Kyle Leahy to the mound. Leahy is a righthander, he enters the game 4-8 and a 3.30 ERA. The Captains starter was scheduled to be Luis Oviedo, but the big righthander was put in the injured list prior to Sunday’s game with a back problem, no replacement to start has been named.