Hawks Keep Their Sea Legs, Sink Captains 6-4

Published on April 26, 2014 under Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


It was truly a team effort as the South Bend Silver Hawks prevailed over the Lake County Captains Saturday night at Four Winds Field. Eight of the nine batters in the Hawks' lineup contributed hits in the 6-4 victory. Six different pitchers took the mound for South Bend, combining for 14 strikeouts against 7 walks and 9 hits. The Hawks remain half a game out of first place behind the Dayton Dragons, Class-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

The Silver Hawks, Class-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, struck first with a pair of runs in the fourth. Left fielder Chuck Taylor led off the frame with a ground ball single to right. Taylor advanced to second on left fielder Stryker Trahan's bloop single to center. Third baseman Joe Munoz followed with a line drive single to center. As Taylor was crossing the plate with the first run of the ballgame, Clint Frazier's throw from center was tardy and went through catcher Richard Stock's legs and to the backstop. The catcher's fielding error allowed Trahan to move up to third and Munoz to advance to second. First baseman George Roberts hit a slow grounder just past the mound that allowed Trahan to score on the 5-3 ground out and put the Hawks in front 2-0.

The Lake County Captains, Class-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, struck back with a run of their own in the top of the fifth. Third baseman Grant Fink singled up the middle into center. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Fink moved up to third on single to left by first baseman Nellie Rodriguez. A single to right by designated hitter Anthony Santander brought Fink home to close the gap to 2-1. That would be all for the Captains in the fifth as Blayne Weller entered and promptly struck out the next two batters.

The Hawks got back on the board with two runs of their own in bottom of the fifth. With two outs, shortstop Andrew Velazquez singled to right-center and then scampered to second by way of a stolen base. After Taylor drew a walk from Captains starter Dace Kime (L, 0-4), Trahan roped an offering down the line for a ground rule double as the ball ended up in the Captains bullpen. Velazquez scored and Taylor moved up to third. Designated hitter Daniel Palka welcomed relief pitcher Kenny Mathews to the game with his single to right to score Taylor. It looked like the Hawks might score two runs on the play, but Josh McAdam's throw from right field beat Trahan to the plate to end the South Bend half of the inning with the Hawks in front 4-1.

The Captains and Hawks both brought home runners in the sixth. Frazier started the Captains rally in the sixth with a single to center as his ground ball took a bad hop in front of second base. After Frazier stole second and shortstop Dorssys Paulino drew a walk off Hawks reliever Austin Platt, Fink plated Frazier with his single to right. Roberts got things started for the Hawks in their half of the sixth with a single to left. Center fielder Breland Almadova followed with a ground ball to short. As Paulino fielded the ball, he turned and fired to second in an attempt for the fielder's choice. However, his throw sailed into the outfield. A single to right by catcher BJ Lopez scored Roberts to keep the Hawks in front 5-2.

Lake County made things dicey in the seventh. Santander led off by drawing a walk from Platt and then advancing to second on a wild pitch. After second baseman Paul Hendrix was hit by a pitch, Stock's ground ball to first advanced both runners, Santander to third and Hendrix to second. McAdam's lofted a fly ball into center, that allowed Santander to score and Hendrix to move up to third on the sacrifice. During left fielder Brian Ruiz's at bat, a wild pitch to the backstop allowed Hendrix to cross the plate and cut the Captains deficit to 5-4.

After pushing their lead to 6-4 in the eighth, the Hawks bullpen came through again. Daniel Gibson (W, 2-2) struck out the side in the eighth to earn the victory. Then in the ninth, JR Bradley (S, 4) fanned two Captains to get his team leading fourth save of the season as the Hawks held on for a 6-4 victory.

South Bend goes for the series sweep when the Silver Hawks and Captains wrap up the four game series and the homestand on Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Aaron Blair (1-1, 3.28) will take the mound for the Hawks. Caleb Hamirck (1-2, 9.56) is set to start for Lake County. Four Winds Field goes to the dogs on Sunday: bring your pup to the park for Bark in the Park. Swoop Troop members assemble! It is also Family and Swoop Troop Day, featuring a pregame catch on the field, beginning at 1:15 p.m., and fans are invited to come down on the field post-game for autographs from the Silver Hawks players. Finally, sunny weather is in the forecast, but even if it gets a little chilly, you'll still be able to stay toasty warm as the first 750 fans will receive a Silver Hawks blanket, presented by Melrose Pyrotechnics.

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Midwest League Stories from April 26, 2014


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