MWL1 Lake County Captains

Captains Suffer Sixth Straight Loss

Published on August 4, 2018 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Lake County Captains News Release


(Midland, MI) - The Lake County Captains (17-24, 46-65) began their three-game road series against the Great Lakes Loons (16-26, 40-70) on a sour note. The Captains lost their sixth straight game, falling to the Loons at Dow Diamond on Saturday night, 4-1.

Right-hander Andre Jackson laid the groundwork for a dominant Loons pitching performance. The Great Lakes starter held the Captains scoreless over six innings and limited Lake County to three hits. Jackson (1-3), who ultimately earned the win, struck out five and walked three.

Captains starter Jean Carlos Mejia also pitched well, but got into some trouble in the third. Gersel Pitre led off the inning with a double and reached third with nobody out when catcher Joshua Rolette tried to throw behind the runner on a pick off and fired the ball into centerfield. Mejia nearly escaped the jam. He struck out Chris Roller and got Josh McLain to pop out. After Mejia walked Jacob Amaya, Deacon Liput opened the scoring with a line drive single through the shortstop hole that scored Pitre with the first run of the game.

The Loons again put a runner on third with nobody out in the fourth. Miguel Vargas began the frame with a triple to right-center and scored two batters later when Pitre hit a grounder to third. Jonathan Laureano charged the roller by Pitre and thought about throwing home, but bobbled the ball on the transfer and fired to first. Vargas scored to give the Loons a 2-0 lead.

Mejia went right back to shutting down Great Lakes after the fourth. The right-hander set down the side in the fifth inning, the sixth inning and kept rolling into the seventh, as well. Though he walked Pitre to begin the seventh, Mejia got Roller to fly out to center and McLain to sky to right for the first two outs of the inning, but he was pulled from the game there and Riley Echols came in from the bullpen. Echols walked Amaya and Liput on close 3-2 pitches to load the bases before giving up a two-run single to Brock Carpenter that doubled the Loons' lead to 4-0. Pitre's run was charged to Mejia (3-5), who eventually took the loss. He allowed three runs over 6.2 innings with six hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

Loons lefty Austin Drury pitched a pair of scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth, but the Captains scrapped against righty Stephen Kolek in the ninth. Oscar Gonzalez rolled a grounder up the third base line for a leadoff infield single and Jose Medina reached for the fourth time in the game with a single. Medina finished 2-for-2 with a single, a double and two walks. His single put runners on the corners with nobody out in the ninth, but Jonathan Laureano hit a bouncer back to the mound and Kolek started a 1-4-3 double play. Gonzalez scored from third to break up the shutout, but the bases were clear and Kolek got Will Benson to fly out to center for the final out of the game.

The Captains have lost six games in a row, matching a season-high, and will try to break the skid in game two of this three-game series on Sunday. First pitch at Dow Diamond is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

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

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Midwest League Stories from August 4, 2018


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