Captains walk-off in pitching masterpiece
(Eastlake, OH) - Juan Hillman and Gregori Vasquez may not have gotten the glory in the Lake County Captains' (8-8) walk-off win over the West Michigan Whitecaps (11-4) on Monday, but the victory could not have happened without them. Hillman and Vasquez combined to hold West Michigan to three hits
(Eastlake, OH) -
The ninth-inning rally began with
Hayes got
The Captains had Isaacs 90 feet away, representing the winning run and Friis on second with one out. West Michigan opted to load the bases by intentionally walking
Long before the Captains' comeback, Hillman set the tone on the mound. The left-hander worked around a leadoff double in the first inning to hold the Whitecaps scoreless. In the second, West Michigan plated a run without tallying a hit. Hillman walked Pearce to lead off the frame and then threw a pick-off attempt away, allowing Pearce to move to third. Later in the inning, Ignacio Valdez hit an RBI ground out to third that brought home Pearce.
Hillman breezed through the next three innings. The left-hander worked perfect third and fourth innings that included a string of four straight strikeouts. He then worked around a leadoff walk in the fifth and stranded a runner on second. Though he did not factor in the decision, Hillman pitched five innings and allowed just one unearned run on one hit. He walked two batters, hit one and struck out six.
Vasquez (1-0) took home the win for Lake County. The right-hander pitched the final four innings without surrendering a run. He walked one, gave up two hits and struck out five, but his biggest moment came in the top of the ninth. With the Captains trailing, 1-0, Vasquez danced out of serious trouble.
Hayes (0-2) suffered his second loss and second blown save of the year. The right-hander recorded one out in the ninth inning and allowed one unearned run on two hits. He walked one intentionally and did not record a strikeout.
The Captains defeated West Michigan in the opener of their four-game series and will face the Whitecaps again on Tuesday night. First pitch at Classic Park is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Information about Classic Park or the Captains can be found online at www.captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-<st1:stockticker w:st="on">WINS (9467). Affordable ticket packages and group party and picnic options are available now.