MWL Fort Wayne TinCaps

Sellout Crowd Sees Snelling Deal and Offense Erupt in Win

August 1, 2023 - Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


FORT WAYNE, Ind. - TinCaps left fielder Graham Pauley (No. 28 Padres prospect) blasted a home run for the second straight game and drove in three, starting pitcher Robby Snelling (No. 4 Padres prospect) struck out seven across five strong innings, and Fort Wayne's offense exploded for to beat the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate), 10-5, in front of a sellout crowd of 7,028 on Princess Night Tuesday at Parkview Field.

First-place Fort Wayne (18-13, 50-47) used a six-run fifth inning to create the separation they needed for a big victory to remain in a tie with the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) at the top of the Midwest League East Division standings.

In addition to his 10th homer in just 27 games since joining the club from Single-A Lake Elsinore in late June, Pauley also ripped a two-run double into the right field corner to highlight the fifth inning hit parade. He finished the contest 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, plus a walk.

Right fielder Kai Murphy went 3-for-4 in his Parkview Field debut, tallying a trio of singles and an RBI groundout.

The 'Caps got on the board first on second baseman Nerwilian Cedeño's (No. 12 Padres prospect) run-scoring single in the bottom of the third.

Great Lakes (15-16, 60-36) evened the contest in the fourth when second baseman Kenneth Betancourt launched his first High-A home run of the year - a solo shot, which tied the game, 1-1.

But the TinCaps pieced together a huge fifth frame, sending 11 hitters to the plate. At one point, six consecutive batters reached base safely. The action started with catcher Anthony Vilar's third High-A homer this season, giving Fort Wayne the lead, 2-1. Later in the inning, first baseman Nathan Martorella (No. 21 Padres prospect) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in another run. Pauley then roped his two-run double before third baseman Carlos Luis hit a sacrifice fly and shortstop Kervín Pichardo smacked a sharp ground ball through the left side of the infield to drive in the sixth run of the inning, and the TinCaps led, 7-1.

Great Lakes got a run back in the sixth thanks to shortstop Alex Freeland's (No. 20 Dodgers prospect) sacrifice fly. They scored again in the top of the seventh on an error.

Fort Wayne added another three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Pauley's bomb made it 8-3, and Vilar's RBI double and Murphy's run-scoring groundout extended the lead to 10-3.

The Loons scored twice in the ninth, headlined by right fielder Chris Alleyne's home run.

The 19-year-old lefty Snelling didn't walk a batter while yielding just four hits. He lowered his ERA to 2.66 through five starts since being called up from Single-A Lake Elsinore in late June.

Tuesday's crowd marked the 10th sellout of the season at Parkview Field.

Next Game: Wednesday, Aug. 2 vs. Great Lakes (7:05 p.m.)

TinCaps Probable Starter: RHP Henry Henry

Loons Probable Starter: LHP Ronan Kopp (No. 15 Dodgers prospect)

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Midwest League Stories from August 1, 2023


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