MWL1 Lake County Captains

Captains Punch Back, Lose Close Fight

Published on June 27, 2018 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Lake County Captains News Release


(Lansing, MI) - The Lake County Captains (2-3, 31-45) showed some serious scrap on Tuesday night. Trailing by seven runs against the Lansing Lugnuts (5-1, 48-28), the Captains pulled within one run and came within 90 feet of tying the score in the ninth inning. Lake County, however, lost to Lansing at Cooley Law School Stadium, 8-7.

The Lugnuts looked like they had buried the Captains after a three-run sixth gave the home side an 8-1 lead. Then, in the top of the seventh, Lake County stormed back. Jonathan Laureano kicked off the frame with a line drive home run to right field. With one out, the Captains put runners on first and second when Jesse Berardi worked a walk and third baseman Mark Grudzielanek fielded a Ulysses Cantu grounder and air-mailed the throw to second. Miguel Eladio followed and chopped a ball toward first base, but Ryan Noda's throw to second hit the sliding Cantu in the helmet. The back-to-back Lansing errors loaded the bases with one out, but Lansing right-hander Emerson Jimenez struck out Todd Isaacs for the second out. That is when the inning turned for Lake County.

The bags were still full with two outs and Jimenez worked the count to 0-2 on Will Benson. On the two-strike pitch, Jimenez hit Benson in the foot to force home Berardi from third and cut the Captains' deficit to 8-3. Lugnuts Manager Cesar Martin did not appear to believe the ball struck Benson and the skipper was ultimately ejected. Jimenez then hit the next batter, Erlin Cerda, to bring in Cantu and trim Lansing's lead to 8-4.

Jimenez was yanked from the game after the two hit batsmen and right-hander Claudio Custodio emerged from the Lugnuts' bullpen to face Oscar Gonzalez with the bags still full and two outs. Gonzalez flared a ball off the handle toward left-center and centerfielder Reggie Pruitt fell short on a diving attempt. Eladio and Benson both scored and the Captains' deficit was cut to two runs at 8-6.

Lansing made a serious bid for insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, but the Captains miraculously escaped, unscathed. Captains right-hander Felix Tati walked Norberto Obeso to begin the inning and Ryan Gold followed with a single to put runners on the corners. The Captains played the infield half-way and Pruitt bounced a grounder to Eladio at shortstop. Eladio looked back Obeso at third and flipped to Berardi on the second base bag. Berardi barehanded the toss and fired to first base. Jose Vicente punctuated the play by making a diving catch to his right and keeping his right foot on the bag for a double play. Meanwhile, Obeso stayed at third base. Tati then got Chavez Young to ground out to first and end the inning with the Captains still down by just two.

Isaacs began the ninth inning with a bang. On a 1-1 pitch, the Captains' centerfielder cranked a home run off the scoreboard in left field to pull the Captains within one run. Custodio came back and got the next two men to ground out, but then Gonzalez delivered. Gonzalez worked the count full and smashed a fly ball to centerfield. Pruitt retreated and banged into the wall, as the ball evaded his glove. Gonzalez hustled to third with a triple and the Captains had the tying run on third with two outs. Custodio, however, got Laureano to fly out to right to end the game.

Lansing built its lead with a run in the first, a four-run outburst in the fourth and three more runs in the sixth. In the first, Young led off with a double off of starter Jean Carlos Mejia, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Kevin Vicuna.

The fourth inning was the turning point for the Lugnuts and it all turned with two outs and runners on second and third. Obeso chopped a grounder up the middle and Mejia tried to make the play with his barehand, but saw the ball glance off his hand and toward third. Brock Lundquist scored on the infield single to give Lansing a 2-0 lead. Mejia then hit Gold with a pitch and Pruitt followed with a grounder up the middle that resulted in an error by Eladio who bobbled the ball trying to make the transfer from his glove to his throwing hand. The error allowed Samad Taylor to score. Young then roped a two-run single down the left field line that brought home both Obeso and Gold to push the Lansing lead to 5-0.

Lake County plated its first run in the fifth. Berardi singled on a flare into centerfield that Pruitt could not grab on a diving attempt. Berardi then tagged up from second on a fly ball to right by Cantu and advanced to third. He scored on a ground out when Taylor made a diving stop at second to rob Eladio of a single.

The Lugnuts' final three runs came in the sixth against Tati. Taylor and Obeso led off with back-to-back walks and moved up to second and third on a wild pitch. Gold brought home Taylor with a sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, Young worked a walk and Vicuna drilled a two-run double to extend Lansing's lead to 8-1.

Lansing starter Matt Gunter picked up the win. Gunter (1-3) pitched five innings and allowed one run on two hits. The lefty struck out two and walked one. Custodio earned his third save, allowing one run on three hits over 2.1 innings. He struck out one and walked one.

Mejia (0-2) pitched 3.2 innings and took the loss. He allowed five runs - two earned - on six hits. The right-hander struck out three and walked one.

The Captains and Lugnuts have split the first two games in their three-game series. The rubber game is set for 12:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Cooley Law School Stadium.

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.

Check out the Lake County Captains Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from June 27, 2018


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.

OurSports Central