Jones plays hero in Captains' ninth walk-off

(Eastlake, OH) - The 2018 Lake County Captains (3-6, 32-47) have been defined by walk-offs. On Friday night, they delivered their ninth of the year. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11^th inning, Nolan Jones grounded a sharp single into centerfield to score Oscar Gonzalez and give the Captains a 2-1 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Classic Park.
Jones found himself in the batter's box with the game on the line because of an aggressive managerial decision by TinCaps skipper Anthony Contreras. Gonzalez began the 11^th as the free runner on second base and moved to third base when Jose Medina grounded out to second. Contreras opted to intentionally walk both Todd Isaacs and Jesse Berardi , loading the bases for Jones with the game on the line. Jones made Fort Wayne pay. Jones chopped a ground ball that glanced off the leaping glove of pitcher Caleb Boushley, caromed over the outstretched leather of shortstop Gabriel Arias and skipped into centerfield. Gonzalez scored and the Captains mobbed Jones between first and second base.

While Jones earned the headline, marquee pitching was the original story on Friday night. TinCaps hurler Luis Patiño and Captains starter Gregori Vasquez were both lights-out. Patiño tossed 6.1 innings and allowed just one run on three hits, struck out six and walked one. The 18-year old right-hander only allowed one hit through the first six innings and retired 13 straight Captains between the second and the sixth.
Vasquez was equal to the task. The Captains' right-hander tossed seven innings and held Fort Wayne to one run on three hits. Vasquez struck out three, walked one and retired the final 13 TinCaps he faced. Neither starter, however, factored in the decision.
Fort Wayne scored the game's first run in the third inning. Jalen Washington, who had tied Thursday night's game with a two-run homer in the eighth, connected for the second night in a row. His solo shot with two outs in the third gave the TinCaps a 1-0 lead.
Patiño held the Captains' bats in check until the seventh. Erlin Cerda hit a one-out single, giving Lake County its first hit since the second. He then moved to second base on a wild pitch. With Cerda on second and one out, Jonathan Laureano grounded a ball up the middle that kicked off the diving glove of second baseman Justin Lopez and into centerfield. Cerda scored with the game-tying run.
Nick Gallagher picked up the win for Lake County. The right-hander stranded runners at third base in both the 10^th and 11^th innings. All told, Gallagher (2-2) pitched four shutout, hitless innings. He struck out four and walked none.
Boushley (4-2) took the loss. The right-hander entered the game in the 10^th and pitched through the end of the game, ultimately giving up the game-winning hit. Boushley pitched 1.1 innings and surrendered one unearned run on one hit. He struck out one and walked two.
Lake County's win snapped the TinCaps' six-game winning streak and evened the four-game series at two games apiece. The Captains and TinCaps square off for game three on Saturday night. First pitch at Classic Park is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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.