Captains cruise in return to Classic Park

(Eastlake, OH) – Hunter Gaddis highlighted a sensational pitching performance by the Lake County Captains (4-3) in their first game back at Classic Park since 2019. Gaddis pitched five no-hit innings and the Captains defeated the Fort Wayne TinCaps (3-3), 3-0, in Lake County’s 2021 home opener.

Gaddis (1-1) was unhittable in his second start of the year. The right-hander pitched five hitless innings and allowed just one baserunner. After hitting Jawuan Harris to start the game, Gaddis retired the next 14 batters in a row. He even picked Harris off of second, and faced the minimum 15 batters through five innings as a result. Gaddis struck out six batters over his five hitless frames, including two punch-outs in each of the first three innings, en route to the win.

Joe Naranjo got the scoring started for the Captains on his 20th birthday. The Captains’ left-handed-hitting first baseman slammed a solo home run to centerfield in the bottom of the third inning to give Lake County a 1-0 advantage.

George Valera was a one-man rally for the Captain in the seventh. Valera singled to lead off the inning, and stole both second and third base without drawing a throw. With two outs, José Tena brought Valera home on a single to left-center to make the Captains’ lead 2-0.

Lake County added another run in the eighth inning to increase its lead to 3-0. Brayan Rocchio started the threat with a one-out single. He swiped second and came home on an RBI single to right field by Will Brennan.

The Captains’ bullpen continued Gaddis’ strong work. Nathan Ocker and Kellen Rholl completed the three-man shutout. Ocker struck out five and held Fort Wayne to two hits over three scoreless innings. Rholl (1) finished the game for the Captains and earned his first save of the season. After walking the lead off man in the ninth, Rholl induced a double play and struck out Agustin Ruiz to end the game.

Ethan Elliott (0-1) started for Fort Wayne and took the loss. The southpaw surrendered just one run over five innings. Elliott struck out six, gave up two hits and walked one.

The Captains take on the Fort Wayne TinCaps again on Wednesday in game two of their six-game series. First pitch at Classic Park is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

About the Captains

The Lake County Captains are the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. For more information, visit the Captains’ website at www.CaptainsBaseball.com, Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/CaptainsBaseball, Twitter @LCCaptains and Instagram @LCCaptains. Fans can also get the latest Captains news and offers by signing up for the Captains’ newsletter, The Anchor.