Lopez Homers, But TinCaps Fall in Series Opener

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Second baseman Justin Lopez homered, but the TinCaps fell, 7-5, in a back-and-forth game against the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays) on Tuesday night at Parkview Field.

Lopez, who just turned 18 on May 9 and is the youngest player in the Midwest League, finished 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run, and an RBI double.
 
Fort Wayne (23-28) got on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Designated hitter Esteury Ruiz  and center fielder Tirso Ornelas  pulled off a double steal when the Hot Rods catcher, Ronaldo Hernandez, airmailed a throw to second to score Ruiz from third and give the TinCaps a 1-0 advantage.
 
In the second inning, Lopez hammered a 2-2 fastball over the wall in right field for his second home run of the season and increased the Fort Wayne lead, 2-0.
 
Bowling Green (33-18) responded in the top of the third. Taylor Walls lined a pitch just past the out-stretched glove of left fielder Robbie Podorsky to triple and score Adrian Rondon to cut the deficit to 2-1. Moises Gomez followed with an RBI single to plate Walls and tie the game, 2-2.
 
The TinCaps added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run double from Ornelas that scored Ruiz and Podorsky from second and third to take the lead back, 4-2.
 
The Hot Rods once again responded in the top of the sixth. A wild pitch scored Walls from third base and an RBI single from Ronaldo Hernandez scored Gomez to even the game at 4-4.
 
Fort Wayne took another lead in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, first baseman Carlos Belen  reached on an error to put a runner on first for Lopez, who sent an RBI double down the left-field line to plate Belen and position the TinCaps in front, 5-4.
 
Bowling Green showed resilience again the top of the ninth. On a 4-for-5 night, Walls came up big again when he lined an RBI double to left field to score Eleardo Cabrera and tie the game, 5-5. An RBI ground out from Hernandez and an RBI single from Devin Davis plated two more runners to solidify the Hot Rods lead, 7-5.
 
In the loss, Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and three stolen bases. Ruiz leads the team with 16 stolen bags this season.
 
Next Game
Wednesday, May 30 vs. Bowling Green Hots Rods (7:05 p.m.)
- TinCaps Probable Starter: LHP Nick Margevicius
- Hot Rods Probable Starter: RHP Alex Valverde
Watch: Comcast Network Channel 81
Listen: ESPN Radio 1380 & 100.9 FM | TinCapsRadio.com | TuneIn