Sports stats

MWL Lake County Captains

Back and Forth Game Ends with South Bend Walk-Off

July 31, 2022 - Midwest League (MWL)
Lake County Captains News Release


(SOUTH BEND, IN) - The Lake County Captains (51-43) had the lead at three different points in Sunday's game but came up just short against the South Bend Cubs (54-42) 9-8 on an 80-degree day at Four Winds Field.

In the bottom of the ninth, South Bend delivered their second walk-off of the series, a Kevin Made double to left-center.

For the third straight game, the Captains scored first. Lake County had three hits, scoring two runs off a Joe Naranjo double and Petey Halpin single in the top of the first inning. A Connor Kokx single plated Gabriel Rodriguez who tripled to lead off the second.

Jack Leftwich, Lake County's starter, retired the first eight Cubs he faced, allowing just one baserunner through the first three. The right-hander would walk two, in the fourth, matching his total walks through his first 19.2 innings as a Captain. BJ Murray stepped up and for the second time, this week hit a homer off Leftwich to knot up the game at 3-3.

Lake County would reclaim the lead in the fifth. Johnathan Rodriguez got a hold of a pitch and launched his fourth home run of the series, a two-run shot to deep left field. South Bend would once again tie the score following a Jordan Nwogu two-run blast off Zach Hart in the bottom of the fifth.

After a scoreless sixth, the Captains jumped ahead in the seventh. A single and two walks loaded the bases for Micael Ramirez who off the bench as a pinch-hitter walked to make it 6-5.

After being held off the bases in the sixth and seventh, the Cubs rallied for three in the eighth. An error began the inning and after recording two outs Trey Benton struggled to hit the strike zone and allowed three straight walks, the last one tied the game. Pablo Aliendo with the bases loaded singled to push two across and Benton out of the game.

In the top of the ninth, the Cubs elected to stick with Michael McAvene who struck out the side in the eighth. He permitted a walk to Petey Halpin and single to Johnathan Rodriguez. South Bend then turned to Hunter Bigge, who had a save and win earlier in the series. Bigge walked the next batter which loaded the bases. He then gained a strikeout and then forced a groundout, which made it a one-run game with two outs.

With two runners in scoring position and two outs, Connor Kokx checked his swing on a 3-1 pitch, made contact, rolled it down the first base line, and dove headfirst into the base ahead of the ball for the equalizer. A strikeout ended the inning, leaving two on and the score deadlocked 8-8.

Raymond Burgos after getting the final out in the eighth took the bottom of the ninth. After getting the first out, the Cubs stroked two doubles to end it.

Lake County returns to Classic Park Tuesday, August 2 to begin a 12-game homestand, starting with a six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons.

Check out the Lake County Captains Statistics



Midwest League Stories from July 31, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Lake County Captains Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central