Captains Earn First Win of 2026 Season, Defeat Whitecaps 6-3

EASTLAKE, Ohio - In the finale of a three-game series, the Lake County Captains (1-2) bested the West Michigan Whitecaps (2-1) by a final score of 6-3 on Saturday afternoon at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

The Lake County offense totaled eight hits in the contest, with six of them being extra-base knocks. Lake County RHP Braylon Doughty (ND), MLB Pipeline’s No. 7 Guardians prospect, excelled in his High-A debut, giving up just one hit and striking out two in three scoreless innings.

The Captains struck quickly, scoring a pair in the bottom of the second behind a two-run homer by DH Aaron Walton, MLB Pipeline’s No. 18 Cleveland prospect. This marked Lake County’s first home run of the 2026 season.

Two innings later, the Captains struck again as RF Esteban González launched his first homer of the year, making it a 3-0 game.

The very next inning, Lake County loaded the basepaths before Walton drove in his third run of the afternoon, lining a single back up the middle to score LF Jaison Chourio, MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 Cleveland prospect. One batter later, a wild pitch plated another run as 1B Nolan Schubart scored to extend Lake County’s lead.

The Captains scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh, courtesy of C Bennett Thompson’s first home run of the year.

West Michigan cracked the scoreboard in the top of the eighth with a three-run homer from Whitecaps LF Stephen Hrustich, cutting the Lake County lead in half.

Captains LHP Donovan Zsak (S, 1) eventually made his High-A debut in the ninth, picking up the save by striking out the side in order to end the ballgame.

Lake County LHP Rafe Schlesinger (W, 1-0) picked up his first win of the year, punching out five and walking two in four scoreless, hitless innings of relief.

West Michigan RHP Rayner Castillo (L, 0-1) suffered the loss in his first start of the season, allowing three runs on four hits over four innings, striking out five and issuing two free passes.

The Captains will open up a scheduled six-game series against the Dayton Dragons on Tuesday evening, April 7, at 7:05 p.m. at Day Air Ballpark in Dayton. The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

NOTES TO KNOW

- As a team, the Captains recorded six extra-base hits (three doubles and three home runs) on Saturday afternoon. Lake County logged 12 games with at least six extra-base hits in 2025.

- OF Esteban González went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run on Saturday afternoon. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native is batting .375 with a 1.250 OPS through his first three games of the season.

- LHP Rafe Schlesinger threw five strikeouts to just one walk in four innings of relief on Saturday afternoon. The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Miami (FL) threw a combined 112 strikeouts to 43 walks across Single-A Lynchburg (now Hill City) and Lake County in 2025.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.