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MWL1 Lake County Captains

Captains' Sixth Straight Loss a Heartbreaker in 11

June 1, 2018 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Lake County Captains News Release


(Lansing, MI) - The Lake County Captains (21-33) thought they had Thursday night's game at Cooley Law School Stadium all sewn up. The Captains were twice three outs away from snapping a five-game losing streak, but each time, the Lansing Lugnuts (35-19) had an answer. Lansing came back from a four-run deficit in the ninth and a two-run deficit in the 10th before winning in 11 innings on a walk-off single by Norberto Obeso, 8-7. The defeat pushed the Captains' losing streak to a season-high six games.

The Captains took a 5-1 lead into the ninth inning, but Tommy DeJuneas hit the first two batters and the inning snow-balled out of control from there. Ryan Noda singled to plate Brock Lundquist and cut the Captains' lead to three runs. After DeJuneas struck out Andres Sotillo, Obeso singled to load the bases. Reggie Pruitt then grounded out to shortstop to score Gudino and a passed ball by Jonathan Laureano plated Noda to cut the Captains' lead to one run. The passed ball also moved Obeso to third with the tying run.

Chavez Young came up with two outs in a 5-4 ballgame. He hit a soft grounder up the middle. Miguel Eladio ranged to his left, but could only knock the ball down. Obeso scored to tie the game at 5-5. The Lugnuts nearly won the game in the ninth inning, as well. Young promptly stole second base and Kevin Vicuna rocketed a ball to the left-centerfield gap, but Oscar Gonzalez ran it down from center to end the inning.

Lake County took the lead again in the 10th. Will Benson was placed at second as the free runner and Nolan Jones brought him home with a one-out double down the left field line. Gonzalez then followed with a single, his fourth hit of the game, and Laureano brought Jones home from third with a sacrifice fly to right-center to give Lake County a 7-5 advantage.

Lansing came back again in the bottom of the 10th. Vicuna was the free runner on second base and Cullen Large hit a soft fly to left field to begin the inning. Jose Medina lost the ball in the lights, dropped the pop up and over-ran the ball. Vicuna, once he saw Medina run past the baseball, took off for third. Medina hustled back, picked up the ball and threw to third. Jones tagged out Vicuna for the first out of the inning, while Large stood on first. With one out and a man on Lundquist strode to the plate. The powerful left-handed hitter entered the game in a three-way tie for the Midwest League home run lead. On one big swing, Lundquist unknotted the tie in the home run leaderboard and re-knotted the score. Lundquist's two-run homer to right-centerfield evened the score at 7-7.

Right-hander Andrew Deramo escaped trouble in the Captains' 11th. Todd Isaacs began the inning as the free runner, pinch-running for Ulysses Cantu at second base. After Medina lined out to left field, Eladio walked to put runners on first and second. Deramo then struck out Friis, but a passed ball by Andres Sotillo moved Isaacs to third and Eladio to second base. Deramo, however, fanned Benson to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 11th, former Indians farmhand Samad Taylor began the inning as the free runner on second, pinch-running for Noda. With Sotillo batting, a passed ball by Laureano moved Taylor to third base with nobody out and the Captains were forced to pull the infield in. Captains reliever Riley Echols struck out Sotillo, but the next batter burned the Captains. The infield was still playing in with the winning run on third base and Obeso took advantage. The lefty batter lifted a soft floater into short right-centerfield. Taylor scored easily with the winning run and the Lugnuts swept the Captains.

Early on, the Captains' offense jumped all over Lansing starter Colton Laws. Lake County produced four runs in the first inning, thanks in part to their first back-to-back homers of the season. Friis, who finished with four hits on the night, delivered his first with a leadoff single and Ernie Clement followed two batters later with a double to right-center. With runners on second and third, Jones grounded out to shortstop, scoring Friis. Gonzalez came up next and blasted a two-run homer off the bottom of the videoboard in left field. His seventh homer of the year gave the Captains a 3-0 lead. The next batter, Laureano, made it 4-0 with a solo shot that cleared the 20-foot tall wall in left-centerfield. The blast was Laureano's fourth of the season.

Meanwhile, Captains starter Gregori Vasquez was cruising. The right-hander pitched a season-high 6.2 innings and allowed just one run on six hits. He walked one and struck out five. Vasquez's only blemish came in the fourth when Vicuna led off with a triple over Gonzalez's head in center and scored on a ground out by Large.

Jones padded the Captains' lead in the top of the sixth. With one out and nobody on, Jones launched a homer off of Laws to dead centerfield, over the same high wall that Laureano cleared earlier. Jones' sixth homer of the year gave the Captains a 5-1 lead. The Captains' third baseman has now homered in back-to-back games and has three long balls in his last four games.

Echols (1-3) suffered the loss for Lake County. The righty reliever pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three runs - one earned - on two hits. He struck out one and did not walk a batter.

Deramo (2-0) picked up the win for the Lugnuts. He pitched one scoreless inning in the 11th. He did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out two.

The Captains will head to South Bend, IN next to take on the South Bend Cubs in a three-game series. Game one of the series is set to begin at 7:35 p.m. on Friday night at Four Winds Field.

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



Midwest League Stories from June 1, 2018


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