Furman’s Grand Slam, Five-Run Third Inning Help Captains to 6-5 Win

EASTLAKE, OH – The bottom of the third inning proved to be the difference as the Lake County Captains (5-6) earned a 6-5 win over the Lansing Lugnuts (5-7) on Thursday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

The victory snaps a five-game losing streak for Lake County, and is the team’s first win since April 12 at Fort Wayne.

In the bottom of the third inning, a two-out RBI single by C Johnny Tincher cut a 3-1 Captains deficit to 3-2. Then, after 3B Tyresse Turner drew a walk to load the bases, 2B Nate Furman stepped up to the plate.

And the 2022 fourth-round pick delivered in a big way, hitting a grand slam to right field to put Lake County ahead 6-3. This was his second hit of the game, and the first home run of his 116-game Minor League career.

In the bottom of the first, three of the first four Captains in Furman, DH Jake Fox, MLB Pipeline’s No. 18 Cleveland prospect, and LF Jorge Burgos hit safely. Burgos drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double, hitting a fly ball that Lansing RF Brayan Buelvas lost in the sunshine.

The Lugnuts scored two runs in the top of the second with an RBI groundout to short by LF Danny Bautista Jr. and a two-out RBI double by 3B Jose Escorche. Buelvas then led off the top of the third with a solo home run to left field to provide insurance for Lansing, making it a 3-1 game. Buelvas has now homered in three straight games, the longest active home run streak in the Midwest League.

After the five-run Lake County third, Captains RHP Austin Peterson (2-1) retired his final six batters faced to cap off five innings of work. He allowed six hits, three earned runs, and no walks, while throwing three strikeouts en route to his second victory of the year.

Lansing got two runs back in the top of the seventh when Escorche grounded into a 5-3 double play to plate SS Euribiel Ángeles before 2B Colby Halter ripped an RBI triple off the left field wall. But with the tying run on third, Captains RHP Juan Zapata got Buelvas to fly out to end the frame.

After RHP Zach Jacobs pitched a scoreless eighth inning, RHP Zane Morehouse struck out the first batter he faced in the ninth before allowing three straight singles to load the bases. Finally, with the tying run 90 feet away, Morehouse struck out Buelvas and Bolte to secure the Lake County victory and his first career High-A save.

First pitch for the fourth game of this week’s scheduled six-game series between the Captains and Lugnuts is scheduled for Friday night at 6:35 p.m. Lake County will celebrate Sixth City Night at the ballpark, paying homage to the city of Cleveland. The game will be broadcast on both the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on both X and Instagram.

Notes To Know

- Nate Furman’s grand slam was the first by a Captain since Dayan Frías also hit a two-out, go-ahead grand slam on July 3, 2023.

- Jorge Burgos barreled a single and an RBI double in the win, both at 100+ mph off the bat. In 101 games as a Captain, 26 of his 84 hits have gone for extra bases (31.0%).

- With a hit-by-pitch and a walk, Jonah Advincula extended his on-base streak to a team-high eight games.

- Austin Peterson earned his second High-A victory, and has earned a decision in each of his first three starts of the season. Peterson threw 56 of his 82 pitches for strikes on Thursday night (68.2%).

- Zane Morehouse earned his first save since June 10, 2023 while at Texas in a 7-5 win versus Stanford in the NCAA Super Regionals. Morehouse earned seven saves in his final season as a Longhorn, which were tied for third-most in the Big 12.

The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.

Contact: Logan Potosky, Play-by-Play Broadcaster & Media Relations Assistant
[email protected]