TinCaps Win on Great Lakes' Late Miscue

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Fort Wayne's Mike Gallic broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday, scoring from first base on a throwing error by Great Lakes catcher Pratt Maynard, giving the TinCaps a 5-4 lead that held for good. Fort Wayne snapped a two-game losing streak, and can earn a series win Sunday against the Loons.

Four lead changes took place over the first six innings of the game, setting the pace for a tight finish. Gallic led off the Fort Wayne (20-14, 51-53) eighth reaching on an error by Loons second baseman Pedro Guerrero, and remained there as Yeison Asencio popped out for the first out of the inning. With Travis Whitmore at the plate, the Loons pitched out, and Maynard threw toward first base. His throw skittered past first baseman Jesse Bosnik, and into the right field corner. Gallic galloped around second and then third as right fielder Nick Akins retrieved the ball. Eventually scoring without a throw to the plate, Gallic proved to be the deciding run.

The TinCaps scored the game's first run on a third-inning RBI single from Kyle Gaedele. Great Lakes (16-18, 50-54) responded with two runs in the top of the fourth on a Nick Akins two-run single. The Loons stretched their lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning with a Scott Schebler RBI single. Fort Wayne starter Ruben Mejia exited in the fifth, throwing 4 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out two.

In the bottom of the inning, Fort Wayne pulled to within one on a solo home run by Kyle Gaedle and tied the game on an RBI single from Gallic. Each team scored once in the sixth, making a 3-3 tie into a game locked at four.

Gallic pushed Fort Wayne ahead, 5-4, and Matt Stites closed out the game, earning his ninth save of the season.

The TinCaps continue their three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 3:05. The scheduled starters are Matt Wisler for Fort Wayne and Miguel Sulbaran for the Loons.