Captains Offense Comes Up Clutch in 11-8 Game One Win

(SOUTH BEND, IN) - The Lake County Captains are one win away from winning the 2022 Midwest League Championship after outlasting the Sound Bend Cubs 11-8 in game one of the Midwest League Championship Series on a warm Sunday evening at Four Winds Field.

The Captains will host the Cubs for game two on Tuesday, September 20th, with first pitch at 7:00 p.m. Game three would be Wednesday, September 21st, if necessary, with the time TBD.

Rodney Boone worked a scoreless first but was ousted before finishing the second. South Bend strung together four consecutive hits and a walk, that scored three. Alaska Abney entered with the bases loaded and one out. After getting a strikeout, the Cubs got their fifth hit of the inning, a two-run single from Jordan Nwogu, to make it 5-0.

Yordys Valdes started the comeback with a triple, to lead off the third inning. The Captains got three walks, the third from Milan Tolentino brought across Valdes.

Lake County put up a five spot in fourth, to not only get back in the game but claim a lead. Korey Holland and Micael Ramirez led off with singles. Yordys Valdes knocked home Holland with a groundball single to right field. Connor Kokx lifted a ball into shallow right field to load the bases and bounce, South Bend starter Kohl Franklin.

Off newly entered Luke Little, Petey Halpin, and Alexfri Planez both delivered RBI singles. A Milan Tolentino walk plated Kokx and Halpin would advance home after a Little balk, to give Lake County a 6-5 lead.

Kevin Made in the bottom of the fourth, knotted up the game with the lone homer, a solo shot for the Cubs.

In the fifth inning, both Joe Naranjo, and Connor Kokx walked and with two outs it brought up Alexfri Planez. The 21-year-old once again produced with runners on, as he smacked a groundball up the middle to give the Captains a 7-6 lead. Lake County tacked on two more, with a Yordys Valdes double, his third hit, and a Joe Naranjo single, both tallying a run.

Will Dion, worked a 12-pitch 1-2-3 fifth inning. The sixth commenced with three hits, an RBI single from Yohendrick Pinango the latter. Fabian Pertuz with two in scoring position lifted a ball to deep left field, just missing a homer. The sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 9-8. The Cubs would leave Pinango on following a Raymond Burgos strikeout, the final out.

Burgos steadied the ship for Lake County allowing just one baserunner over a scoreless seventh and eighth. An RBI groundout scored Valdes who came aboard after a fourth single in the eighth and South Bend’s third error scored run number 11 in the top of the ninth.

With a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Jordan Jones took the mound. After permitting two on, Jones retired the potential tying runner twice, including a strikeout of Luis Verdugo to end the game.

The Captains will go for their second Midwest League title in franchise history, Tuesday, September 20th. First pitch is at 7:00 p.m. Coverage of the game can be found on WJCU.org/Captains and the MiLB First Pitch app.