Captains split with Dayton in homer-fest

(Dayton, OH) - Baseballs soared out of Fifth Third Field on Tuesday night. On a day that featured six home runs, the Lake County Captains (20-25) won one and lost one against the Dayton Dragons (22-21). Lake County lost the completion of Monday's suspended game, 5-4, on a walk-off single by Jeter Downs and then won the second game of the day, 2-1, on a seventh-inning home run by Oscar Gonzalez .
Monday's game was suspended due to rain in the fifth inning with the score tied, 2-2. When the game resumed on Tuesday, Captains reliever Cameron Mingo and Dayton reliever Cory Thompson held their opponents scoreless until the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Hendrik Clementina unknotted the score, teeing off for a two-run home run to right field to give the Dragons a 4-2 lead. Clementina's homer tied him with Will Benson for the Midwest League lead with nine.

The Captains quickly struck back with long balls of their own. Ulysses Cantu led off the top of the eighth with a blast to left field off of Thompson. Later in the inning, with Ryan Nutoff on the mound and the Captains trailing by one, Gonzalez launched his first of what turned out to be two homers on Tuesday. The solo shot evened the score at 4-4.
Dayton ultimately won the game in the bottom of the ninth. Clementina blooped a single down the right field line against Captains right-hander Riley Echols and Jose Garcia hit a one-out single to put runners on first and second. Downs, who had delivered a walk-off single against the Captains the last time these two teams met, delivered again with a single to center. Todd Isaacs ' throw from center was too late to beat the sliding Clementina who scored the game-winning run.
Echols (0-1) took the loss after allowing the winning run. He pitched 1.1 innings and gave up one run on four hits. Echols walked one and did not record a strikeout.
Nutoff (3-1) picked up the win despite suffering his fourth blown save. He allowed one run over 1.2 innings. The right-hander gave up three hits, struck out two and did not issue a walk.
Game two began with more long balls. Jonathan Laureano took Dayton starter Wendolyn Bautista with two outs and nobody aboard in the top of the first. Downs, however, answered. One at-bat after he won game one, Downs launched a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first off of Captains game two starter Francisco Perez .
The ballgame turned into a pitcher's duel after the first-inning fireworks. Perez held the Dragons scoreless over the next four innings. He ultimately did not factor in the decision, but the Lake County lefty pitched five frames and gave up just one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out four.
Bautista was two completely different pitchers in the front half of the game and in the back end. The right-hander did not strike out a single Captain in the first three innings, but still held Lake County to one run on two hits with one walk over that span. Then, from the fourth through the sixth, Bautista struck out seven of the 11 Captains he faced over three scoreless innings. Gonzalez, however, got to Bautista in the seventh.
Bautista had scattered just three singles since Laureano's first-inning homer. With one out and nobody on in the seventh, however, Gonzalez smashed a hard liner over the centerfield wall. The baseball slammed against the batter's eye for a solo shot to give Lake County a 2-1 lead. It was Gonzalez's sixth home run of the year, his second of the night and his fifth in his last 10 games.
Tommy DeJuneas closed out the game for the Captains and picked up the win. DeJuneas (2-1) tossed the last two innings for the Captains and was perfect, striking out five of the six men he faced.
Bautista (2-3) took the loss despite a strong start. The right-hander worked 6.2 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked one.
The Captains are now 1-5 against Dayton, but almost every game has been close. Four of the first six games in the season series have been decided in the last two innings, including both of Tuesday's contests.
Lake County and Dayton have split the first two games in this four-game series. Game three is slated for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night at Fifth Third Field.
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.