Captains Shut Out for Fourth Time This Season in Loss to Dragons

EASTLAKE, OH – In the finale of a six-game series, the Lake County Captains (20-13) fell to the Dayton Dragons (14-19) by a final score of 3-0 on Sunday afternoon to close a 13-game homestand at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

Dayton RHP Jared Lyons (2-1) earned the victory, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out six. Lake County LHP Parker Messick (2-3), MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 Cleveland prospect, recorded his third loss of the season. The left-hander pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits, and striking out five in 91 pitches (51 strikes).

The Dragons scored two runs in the top of the second when 1B Ruben Ibarra lined an RBI single, and C Logan Tanner doubled him home.

But Messick answered on the mound by retiring 13 of his final 15 batters faced. With two outs in the top of the sixth, RHP Jay Driver struck out Dayton SS Victor Acosta, MLB Pipeline’s No. 20 Cincinnati prospect, to retire the side.

After Captains pitching held the Dragons hitless for five straight innings, LF Jacob Hurtubise, MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 Cincinnati prospect, led off the top of the eighth with his first home run on his rehab assignment from Triple-A Louisville. This homer snapped Captains RHP Alaska Abney’s 8.1-inning scoreless streak.

One half-inning later, Lake County DH Angel Zarate walked, RF Jonah Advincula singled, and 1B C.J. Kayfus walked to load the bases for C Cooper Ingle. However, on the first pitch thrown by Dayton RHP Luis Mey, Ingle bounced into a groundout to end the frame.

RHP Zane Morehouse then pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, allowing a double and throwing two strikeouts.

Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, the Captains got a two-out baserunner when LF Justin Boyd reached on a fielding error by Mey. But the Dragons closer got Zarate to fly out, ending the game, series, and Lake County’s homestand.

After an off day on Monday, the Captains will begin a six-game road series against the Lansing Lugnuts. First pitch for the series-opener on Tuesday night is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Jackson Field in Lansing, Michigan. The series will be broadcast on both the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on both X and Instagram.

Notes To Know

- The Captains went 9-4 in their 13-game homestand, taking five of seven games against Fort Wayne and four of six games against Dayton.

- During its 13-game homestand, Lake County averaged 5.2 runs per game and outscored its opponents 67-36.

- LHP Parker Messick has struck out at least five batters in six of his seven starts in 2024. He ranks second in the Midwest League in strikeouts (42) this season, and his 117 strikeouts as a Captain are the most in all of High-A since his Lake County debut on June 29, 2023.

- With their scoreless relief appearances on Sunday afternoon, RHPs Jay Driver and Zane Morehouse now each own a six-game shutout streak. These streaks are tied for the second-longest active shutout streak in the Midwest League. In these spans, the two Captains relievers have now pitched 7.2 and 7.1 scoreless innings, respectively.

The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.

Contact: Logan Potosky, Play-by-Play Broadcaster & Media Relations Assistant
[email protected]