Captains claim third straight win in wild finish
(Eastlake, OH) - For the first time since May, the Lake County Captains (26-41) are winners of three consecutive ballgames. On a night that belonged largely to Miguel Eladio at the plate, the Captains defeated the South Bend Cubs (38-29) in the opener of a three-game series at Four Winds
(Eastlake, OH) - For the first time since May, the Lake County Captains (26-41) are winners of three consecutive ballgames. On a night that belonged largely to
Eladio's most important hit came in the ninth inning and it led to a hectic play that scored the game-winning run. The ballgame was tied at 5-5 and the Captains had
South Bend and Lake County played tight from wire to wire. The Cubs pushed across a pair of runs in the first inning against Captains starter
Lake County responded and took the lead two innings later. In the second, Isaacs roped an RBI double into the left field corner to put the Captains on the board. In the third,
The Captains' lead was short-lived. South Bend tied the game in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Chris Pieters. Mineo beat the Captains' pull-shift with a one-out bunt single. After Isaac Paredes singled to put runners on the corners, Pieters hit a fly ball to centerfield that brought home Mineo to tie the game at 3-3.
Nobody scored again until the sixth inning when the Captains took the lead courtesy of an
Eladio provided the Captains with an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single, but the Cubs trimmed the deficit to one run in the home half of the inning against Captains reliever
The Cubs tied the score in the eighth against Ryan. Yeiler Peguero came up with one out and hit a high fly ball that glanced off of
Hillman did not factor in the decision, but the lefty turned in another strong start for Lake County. Hillman lasted five innings for the eighth start in a row. He also allowed just three runs, giving him six consecutive starts with three or fewer runs surrendered. Hillman scattered five hits, walked a pair and struck out two.
Ryan (3-2) picked up the win despite taking a blown save. The right-hander gave up one run on a pair of hits. He struck out one and walked one.
Lefty reliever Marc Huberman was on the mound for the Cubs when the Captains scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning. Huberman (1-1) only gave up one unearned run over two innings, but was saddled with the loss. The lefty gave up one hit, walked one batter and struck out three.
The Captains' victory over South Bend knocked the Cubs out of playoff contention in the first half. Because the Dayton Dragons won their game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps and the Lansing Lugnuts fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Dragons clinched the Eastern Division Wild Card for the first half. Both Lansing and South Bend were chasing Dayton heading into Friday night.
Lake County will go for its fourth straight victory on Saturday night. First pitch against the Cubs at Four Winds Field is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
Individual game tickets for all Captains games are on sale at the Classic Park box office, online at captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-WINS (9467). 12-, 20-, and 35-game mini ticket plans for the 2017 season are on sale now at great prices complete with several exclusive benefits. Information can be found at the Captains website www.captainsbaseball.com.