MWL Lake County Captains

Martorella's Five RBI, Fort Wayne's Strong Third Inning Defeat Captains 8-3

Published on May 6, 2023 under Midwest League (MWL)
Lake County Captains News Release


EASTLAKE, Ohio - The Lake County Captains (14-9) fell to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (7-17) by a final score of 8-3 on Friday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

TinCaps left fielder Nathan Martorella had one of his premier games of the season, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate with two home runs and a game-high five RBI.

After a scoreless first two innings from both sides, Fort Wayne struck first in the top of the third inning. A walk and a single put two runners on base for center fielder Jakob Marsee. He would ground into a force out, but an errant throw to first base by Captains shortstop Dayan Frias allowed the game's first run to score.

Then, in the ensuing at-bat, TinCaps shortstop Jackson Merrill hit an RBI infield single to make it a 2-0 game. Soon after, following a walk, Martorella hit his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot, to cap off a five-run top of the third inning.

This marked the end of the day for Lake County starting pitcher Aaron Davenport (0-1), who allowed season-highs in hits (four, tied), runs (five), and earned runs (four), while walking three and striking out just one in a season-low 2.2 innings pitched.

Captains reliever Josh Wolf would then enter the game. The right-hander would throw a season-high four innings, allowing a season-high four walks, and tying season-highs in hits (four), runs (three), earned runs (three), and home runs (two) allowed, while striking out three.

An infield single from Lake County third baseman Juan Brito in the bottom of the third inning would extend his on-base streak to 17 games. This would be the team's only hit until the eighth inning, as Fort Wayne starting pitcher Jairo Iriarte (1-2) threw five scoreless innings, allowing three walks and striking out seven, which tied a season-high.

The TinCaps would add runs in the fourth and fifth innings, courtesy of a solo home run from catcher Brandon Valenzuela and a sacrifice fly from Nathan Martorella. Following a scoreless sixth inning, Martorella recorded his fifth RBI of the night with a solo home run in the top of the seventh, which gave Fort Wayne an 8-0 advantage.

Captains reliever Alaska Abney would enter the game with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. The right-hander would pitch 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and three walks, while throwing a career-high five strikeouts.

Lake County catcher Micael Ramirez led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a single. Then, after a Christian Cairo walk and Juan Brito lineout, Captains left fielder Cesar Idrogo took the 10th pitch of his final at-bat to deep right field for a three-run home run, his first home run of the season.

But after holding Fort Wayne scoreless in the top of the ninth inning, Lake County would fail to score in the bottom half of the frame, giving the TinCaps the five-run victory.

Up next, the Captains and TinCaps will face off in a doubleheader, with first pitch scheduled for 5:00 PM this evening. During Game 1 of the twin bill, T-Rex Appreciation Day will be celebrated at the ballpark. Coverage of the games can be found on both Bally Live and MiLB.tv, as well as through @LCCaptains on Twitter and Instagram.

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Midwest League Stories from May 6, 2023


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