Eighth Inning Rally, Favors' Quality Start Steer Captains to 4-2 Win over Lugnuts

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MWL Lake County Captains

Eighth Inning Rally, Favors' Quality Start Steer Captains to 4-2 Win over Lugnuts

May 20, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
Lake County Captains News Release


EASTLAKE, Ohio - In the first game of a scheduled six-game series, the Lake County Captains (21-19) defeated the Lansing Lugnuts (23-17) by a final score of 4-2 on Tuesday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Captains.

After entering the bottom of the eighth inning tied at 2-2, a two-out Lake County rally ultimately proved to be the difference in the ballgame.

With two outs in the home half of the eighth, LF Esteban González hit a two-out RBI double to put the Captains in front 3-2. The ball bounced off the glove of a running Lugnuts LF Rodney Green Jr., MLB Pipeline 's No. 18 Athletics prospect, and Lake County RF Wuilfredo Antunez scored from first base on the play.

Then, DH Juan Benjamin tallied a two-out RBI single in the next at-bat, giving the Captains an insurance run headed into the ninth inning. González and Benjamin, Lake County's eighth and ninth hitters, respectively, combined to go 6-for-8 at the plate on Tuesday night.

RHP Jack Jasiak (W, 5-2) then worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning, capping off two perfect frames of relief and earning his fifth win of the season.

LHP Caden Favors (ND) logged the best start of his professional career. The 2024 sixth-round pick out of Wichita State pitched a career-high six innings, allowing just two hits, one earned run, and two walks, while throwing five strikeouts in 83 pitches (57 strikes). His lone run allowed scored on a fielder's choice in the top of the second inning. With his strong outing on Tuesday night, the southpaw recorded Lake County's first quality start of the season.

Lake County's first two runs of the game were driven in by 1B Ralphy Velazquez, MLB Pipeline 's No. 6 Cleveland prospect. The 2023 first-round pick out of Huntington Beach High School (CA) hit consecutive RBI singles in the bottom of the fifth and seventh innings, respectively.

Lugnuts RHP Hunter Breault (L, 1-2) suffered his second loss of the season, permitting four hits and two earned runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. RHP Steven Echavarria (ND), MLB Pipeline 's No. 12 Athletics prospect, also recorded a quality start, permitting six hits, one earned run, and three walks, while throwing six strikeouts in six innings of work.

The second game of this week's scheduled six-game series between the Captains and Lugnuts is scheduled for Wednesday morning at 11:05 a.m. It will be Education Day at the ballpark, where Lake County will celebrate STEM.

The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App and MiLB.com, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

Notes to Know

- LHP Caden Favors recorded his first career quality start on Tuesday night, his first since May 25, 2024 with Wichita State versus East Carolina. This also marked the Captains' first regular-season quality start since RHP Carter Spivey on Sept. 7, 2024 at Peoria.

- INF Christian Knapczyk went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of singles on Tuesday night, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. This streak is tied for the longest by a Captain this season (OF Alfonsin Rosario, MLB Pipeline 's No. 25 Cleveland prospect, also 12 games from April 5 to April 23). Knapczyk leads the Midwest League with 25 hits this month, while ranking second with a .410 batting average.

- INF Juan Benjamin went 3-for-4 at the plate, recording his first career three-hit game at the High-A level. This marked the 22-year-old's first three-hit game since July 11, 2024 with Single-A Lynchburg, when he went 4-for-4 at the plate versus Delmarva (Single-A, BAL).

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