Naranjo and Bracho HRs, Power Captains to 4-2 Win

(CEDAR RAPIDS, IA) – The Lake County Captains (16-18) combination of power hitting and pitching, led to a 4-2 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels (24-11), their first back-to-back home losses of 2022.

Aaron Davenport set two season highs tonight, tossing five complete innings and striking out six batters. He retired six of the first seven batters he faced, three via K’s.

Lake County offensively provided the run support. Joe Naranjo, coming off a three-run home run in yesterday’s game, launched a no-doubter over the right-field fence in the top of the first to give the Captains a 1-0 lead.

In the third, Joe Naranjo also got Lake County a good start with a walk. Petey Halpin would then single to right field, to put runners on second and first. Johnathan Rodriguez then stepped up and belted a double to deep right-center field plating Naranjo. Gabriel Rodriguez came up next and lofted a ball into left field to bring Halpin home via a sacrifice fly.

The bottom of the third, saw Cedar Rapids score their only two runs. After a leadoff walk, Will Holland lined his second triple of the year to left-center to put the Kernels on the board. Anthony Prato then got enough on a fly ball to right field to plate Holland to pull it to a 3-2 game.

Davenport ended the scoring there with a strikeout and flyout. In the fourth and fifth, Cedar Rapids only got two runners on and no runs, Davenport for five innings tossed earned the win.

In the top of the sixth, Aaron Bracho provided some breathing room, on a bullet line drive to right-center field, to make it 4-2.

In the final four innings, Lake County’s bullpen went to work. Alaska Abney tossed an 11 pitch 1-2-3 sixth. Matt Turner posted a 1-2-3 seventh on 13 pitches. In the eighth, he allowed two hits but secured two outs as well, leaving with two runners in scoring position.

Cade Smith would come on to get the final four outs. He struck out Kyler Fedko to finish the eighth. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Smith permitted only one base runner and added three strikeouts including a three-pitch K to end the game.

Lake County and Cedar Rapids face off for game three tomorrow Thursday, May 19. First pitch is at 7:35 p.m. EST.

Coverage of the game can be found on WJCU.org/Captains and the MiLB First Pitch app.