(Eastlake, OH) - The Lake County Captains (23-35) did it again. For the sixth time this year, the Captains walked off with a victory at Classic Park. Trailing by four runs against the Dayton Dragons (29-27), the Captains rallied for five runs in the last two innings, capped by a
(Eastlake, OH) - The Lake County Captains (23-35) did it again. For the sixth time this year, the Captains walked off with a victory at Classic Park. Trailing by four runs against the Dayton Dragons (29-27), the Captains rallied for five runs in the last two innings, capped by a two-run, game-winning single by Todd Isaacs in the bottom of the ninth. The Captains beat the Dragons, 10-9, in the opener of a three-game series at Classic Park.
The Dragons held a 9-5 lead going into the eighth, but Jose Vicente pulled the Captains within two runs with one swing. After Adrian Chacon walked Mike Rivera, Vicente cracked a two-run homer deep over the left field wall. The Captains nearly came all the way back in the eighth. After the long ball, Dayton shortstop Jose Garcia committed an error and Ryan Nutof came in from the bullpen. Nutof walked Tyler Friis and Nolan Jones back-to-back to load the bases, but Nutof got Ernie Clement to bounce into an inning-ending double play.
Dayton brought in closer John Ghyzel for the ninth and the right-hander promptly struck out Oscar Gonzalez on three pitches. After that, however, Ghyzel lost the strike zone. He walked Jose Medina , Will Benson and Mike Rivera in succession. Following the third walk, the Dragons called on Cory Thompson to come in from the bullpen.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Thompson fired a wild pitch and Medina raced home to bring the Captains within one run at 9-8. Thompson then got Vicente to pop out in foul territory. First baseman Montrell Marshall reached into the stands to make the catch for the second out. That brought up Isaacs as the Captains' last chance. With Benson on third and Rivera on second, Isaacs dunked a ball off the end of his bat into left-center. Both runners scored with ease and the Captains clinched a come-from-behind victory.
Lake County got off to a hot start at the beginning of the ballgame. Dayton starter Andrew Jordan walked the first two men, Friis and Jones. Clement then opened the scoring with an RBI single. Dragons centerfielder threw Jones out at third on the play, but the rally kept going. Later on in the frame, Benson and Rivera hit back-to-back screaming grounders that the Dragons mishandled. Benson's grounder to first kicked off of Marshall's glove and scored Clement. Rivera's skipped off of Garcia's glove at short and enabled Ulysses Cantu to score, giving the Captains a 3-0 lead.
The Dragons tied the score at 3-3 in the third. Mark Kolozsvary led off with a double and scored on Garcia's RBI single. Garcia moved to second on a single by Jeter Downs and then took off for third. Rivera's throw sailed into left field and Garcia trotted home. Later in the inning, Hendrik Clementina knocked in Downs with the tying run on a sacrifice fly to left field.
Dayton grabbed the lead in the fourth. Miles Gordon hit a leadoff double and Captains starter Juan Hillman walked the next man, Kolozsvary. After Gordon swiped third, Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to left that brought home Gordon to give the Dragons a 4-3 lead.
The Captains regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Rivera hit a soft fly ball down the right field line that fell in for a double. Two batters later, Isaacs dribbled a grounder toward third and hustled to first for an infield single. Rivera moved up to third on the play. With runners on the corners and two outs, Jordan balked home Rivera with the tying run and Isaacs moved up to second. Friis then singled to score Isaacs with the go-ahead run.
Lake County imploded in the fifth and the Dragons scored five runs on just one hit to take a 9-5 lead. Skylar Arias came in to pitch the frame and got the first two men, but John Sansone kept the inning going with a two-out double. Arias then walked Marshall and Gordon to load the bases. Kolozsvary then walked to tie the score and the Captains brought in Jordan Scheftz to relieve Arias. Scheftz then hit Garcia to force home Marshall with the go-ahead run. With Downs at the plate, Scheftz threw three wild pitcfhes that brought home three more runs.
Captains reliever Jonathan Teaney picked up the win. Teaney (1-3) pitched a one-two-three top of the ninth that included a pair of strikeouts.
Ghyzel (2-3) took the loss after being tagged with all ninth-inning runs on three walks and no hits. The right-hander struck out one. Thompson was charged with his first blown save of the year.
Information about Classic Park or the Captains can be found online at www.captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-<st1:stockticker w:st="on">WINS (9467). Affordable ticket packages and group party and picnic options are available now.
