MWL1 Lake County Captains

Captains Lose Battle of Southpaws in Bowling Green

Published on April 29, 2018 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Lake County Captains News Release


(Bowling Green, KY) - Juan Hillman's second through sixth innings on Saturday were just about all the Lake County Captains (11-10) could have asked for. The left-hander held the Bowling Green Hot Rods (11-11) to two runs on three hits and struck out six in that five-inning span. Bowling Green's first inning, however, coupled with a lights-out start by Brendan McKay, was enough to propel the Hot Rods past Lake County, 4-2.

Bowling Green struck quickly against Hillman in the bottom of the first. After Hillman issued a leadoff walk to Vidal Brujan, Carl Chester followed with a single and moved up to second when the throw from the outfield went awry. With runners on second and third, Taylor Walls hit a grounder to shortstop that scored Brujan. Two batters later, Ronaldo Hernandez singled to score Chester and give the Hot Rods a 2-0 lead.

The Hot Rods added another run in the second. Emilio Gustave led off with a triple and later scored on an RBI ground out by Chester to give Bowling Green a 3-0 advantage.

McKay, meanwhile, stymied the Captains in the first two innings. The left-hander set down the first six men he faced, including five consecutive strikeouts. After fanning the last two men in the first, McKay struck out the side in the second on just 10 pitches.

The Captains broke through against McKay in the third inning. Jorma Rodriguez began the inning by lacing a triple down the right field line and Todd Isaacs singled him home two batters later. Lake County nearly came back to tie the game that inning. Ernie Clement followed Isaacs' single with a double and the Captains had runners on second and third with one out. McKay, however, struck out Nolan Jones and got Oscar Gonzalez to ground to third to finish the frame with Bowling Green still in front, 3-1.

McKay bounced back quickly after the third inning. After Clement's double, the lefty set down the final eight batters he faced, finishing with one run allowed in five innings. McKay (1-0), who ultimately earned the win, struck out a career-high nine batters, allowed three hits and did not issue a walk.

Hillman settled into a groove after Gustave's second-inning leadoff triple. The Captains' left-hander allowed just one infield single from that point through the fourth inning and did not allow a run to score. Bowling Green scratched across an unearned run in the fifth. Taylor Walls led off with a double, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly in foul territory by Zacrey Law to give Bowling Green a 4-1 lead. That unearned tally was the last run Hillman (0-3). Though he took the loss, he finished with a strong six innings of work that included four runs, three of which were earned, on five hits. The southpaw struck out seven and walked two.

Lake County mounted a comeback attempt against lefty reliever Hunter Schryver in the eighth and ninth, but fell short. In the eighth, Jonathan Laureano led off with a single, Clement singled with one out and Jones walked to load the bases. Gonzalez then plated Laureano with an RBI ground out, trimming Bowling Green's lead to 4-2. The Captains had runners on second and third with two outs and a chance to tie the game with a hit, but Schryver came back and struck out Will Benson looking to end the frame.

The Captains again rallied in the ninth, but could not score. With one out, Schryver struck out Austen Wade on a pitch in the dirt, but the ball skipped behind Law, the catcher. Wade raced to first and reached safely on the wild pitch. Rodriguez came up next and hit a grounder to the second base bag that could have resulted in a game-ending double play, but the ball skipped off the glove of the shortstop, Walls, for an error. The Captains had the tying run on base and the go-ahead run at the plate with one out, but Schryver struck out Laureano and Isaacs swinging to end the game and pick up his second save.

Lake County and Bowling Green have split the first two games of this three-game series and will play the rubber game on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Bowling Green Ballpark is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. EST.

Information about Classic Park or the Captains can be found online at www.captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-WINS (9467). Affordable ticket packages and group party and picnic options are available now.

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Midwest League Stories from April 29, 2018


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