Captains Win Midwest League East Second Half

(EASTLAKE, OH) – With a 3-2 victory over the Fort Wayne TInCaps (50-80), the Lake County Captains (76-53) are the 2022 Midwest League Second-Half Division Champions. This is the seventh time in franchise history that the Captains have reached the postseason.

For the Captains, all three of their runs came in the sixth inning. Second baseman Christian Cairo extended his on-base streak to 25 games with an RBI single, cutting the Lake County deficit to 2-1.

One hitter later, on a two-out, two-strike pitch, first baseman Joe Naranjo hit his 18th home run of the season, giving Lake County a 3-2 lead, its first of the game.

For Fort Wayne, both of its runs came from home runs. In the top of the first, catcher Brandon Valenzuela hit his 10th home run of the season, a solo shot, to open the scoring.

Then, in the top of the second, right fielder Agustin Ruiz hit his eighth home run of the season, another solo shot, to give the TinCaps an early 2-0 lead.

Captains starting pitcher Aaron Davenport earned his second consecutive victory, allowing three hits, two earned runs, and striking out eight in six innings pitched.

Fort Wayne’s Garrett Hawkins also pitched six innings, allowing three runs and five hits, while striking out four in a solid performance.

Also, for Lake County, relief pitcher Raymond Burgos threw two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, striking out four of the six hitters he retired, allowing just two hits and one walk.

Then, after allowing a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth, relief pitcher Alaska Abney would retire the final three hitters he faced, earning his third save of the season.

The Captains will wrap up their 2022 regular season against the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Sunday, September 11, with first pitch at 1:00 PM. It will also be Family Fun Sunday presented by Mentor Nissan. Coverage of the game can be found on WJCU.org/Captains, and the MiLB First Pitch app.