MWL1 Fort Wayne TinCaps

TinCaps blank 'Hawks 12-0 in home finale

Published on September 3, 2011 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


FORT WAYNE, IN - The Fort Wayne TinCaps were looking for some confidence prior to their leaving for West Michigan for their three-game season-ending series with the Whitecaps that will determine which of the two teams qualifies for the Midwest League playoffs.

They got it in the form of a season-high 21-hit attack, and an outstanding performance turned in by a trio of pitchers, as they dominated South Bend on Friday night, shutting out the Silver Hawks by a score of 12-0, in front of a crowd of 8,050 fans at Parkview Field.

Fort Wayne jumped out in front early, as they scored twice in the bottom of the first inning against South Bend starting pitcher Jeff Shields; the key plays being a Silver Hawk error, a bunt single by Cory Spangenberg, a stolen base (by Spangenberg), an infield ground out, and a run-scoring single off the bat of Connor Powers.

The TinCaps sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring six runs on nine hits (all singles), and increasing their lead to 8-0.

Fort Wayne was back at it again in the sixth inning, this time sending nine players up to bat, and putting an additional four runs up on the scoreboard, as the margin increased to 12-0.

Meanwhile, TinCap starter Mark Hardy was keeping the South Bend attack at bay. In seven innings of work, the southpaw allowed no runs on three hits, walked two, and struck out six.

He pitched out of jams in the third and fifth innings, and retired the last seven batters he faced in a row, before being replaced on the mound by Robert Lara at the start of the eighth inning.

Lara retired the side in order in the eighth, then gave way to Deiber Sanchez, who pitched a perfect ninth inning.

All told, the trio combined to retire the final 13 batters they faced, in recording the team's 11th shutout of the season.

Offensively, everybody in the Fort Wayne batting order had at least one hit, led by Mike Gallic with four.

The 21 hits in the game were a season-high for the TinCaps, as were the nine singles collected in the fourth inning alone.

Hardy (11-10) picked up the win, while Shields (9-13) suffered the loss.

The scene is now set for the final three games remaining in the regular season.

The TinCaps and West Michigan have identical second half records of 37-30.

Whichever team wins two of the final three games will clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Division, and will join Bowling Green, Lansing, and Dayton in the hunt for a Midwest League Championship.

In Saturday night's series opener, Fort Wayne will send Matt Jackson (4-1, 1.99) to the mound.

Jackson will be opposed by Brian Stroud (0-2, 7.07) of the Whitecaps.

Check out the Fort Wayne TinCaps Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from September 3, 2011


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