Captains silence Loons with 4-3 walk off win
BY TIM SHIRER
CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER
(EASTLAKE, OH) - The Lake County Captains returned home on Tuesday night after being away from Classic Park since July 17th, their last game played was July 16th due to a rainout on the 17th. The nine game, two city road trip included Lansing and South Bend. Things were exciting for the 2,066 in attendance as the back-and-forth affair ended the right way for the Captains, they went home with a 4-3 walk off win.
The Loons got on the board first in the top of the fourth inning when Jorbit Vivas singled to lead off the inning off of Cal Quantrill look alike Tommy Mace. Eddys Leonard then doubled to right field to move Vivas to third. Imanol Vargas then grounded out to Angel Martinez for the first out of the inning, but Vivas trotted home with the Loons first run. Mace was able to escape the inning without any further damage.
The Captains struck right back in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back solo home runs by Alexfri Planez and Jonathan Rodriguez giving Lake County a 2-1 lead. Planez’s long ball was his 14th and Rodriguez’s blast was his 16th of the season.
The Loons came right back in the top of the fifth knocking Mace out of the game when with one out Ismael Alcantara reached on an error by Captains third baseman Gabriel Rodriguez. Alcantara then stole second base with Jose Ramos at the plate. The theft was Alcantara’s 10th of the season, he ended up at third base on the play as Captains second baseman Milan Tolentino miss played the throw from Captains catcher Micael Ramirez. Ramos then drew a base on balls to put runners at the corners. Vivas then ended Mace’s night when he hit a sac-fly to Petey Halpin in centerfield and Alcantara trotted home with the tying run.
The Loons regained the lead in the top of the seventh when Harold Restituyo singled off Brian Eichhorn who replaced Jordan Jones to start the inning. Jones relieved Mace in the fifth. Eichhorn got Alcantara next at first base on a sac-bunt which moved Restituyo to second. Restituyo moved to third on a passed ball by Ramirez, Eichhorn then struck out Ramos for the second out of the frame. It looked like Eichhorn might get out of the inning without allowing a run, but Vivas had other ideas as he singled to right field driving home Restituyo and giving the Loons a 3-2 lead.
Once again, the Captains countered in the bottom of the seventh when Petey Halpin drew a walk to lead off the inning. Halpin advanced to second on a wild pitch by Loon’s reliever Robbie Peto. Tolentino then moved Halpin to third when he grounded out to shortstop for the first out of the inning. One hitter later eventual game hero Gabriel who committed an error earlier in the game singled to left field and Halpin came home with the game tying run.
The game stayed tied 3-3 until the bottom of the ninth with one out and a 1-1 count on Gabriel Rodriguez who launched a ball to the top of the left field wall it appeared to be caught but the ball bounced off Loon Left fielder Restituyo’s glove and over the fence to give the Captains a 4-3 walk off win. It was the Captains third walk off win of the season, Angel Martinez had the first two. The home run was G-Rod’s eighth of the season.
Alaska Abney picked up the win in relief for Lake County pitching a scoreless ninth inning issuing one base on balls and striking out the side. With the win Abney improves to 6-2 with a 3.34 ERA. Loons’ reliever Cole Duensing is tagged with the loss facing only one batter and falling to 3-4 with a 4.23 ERA.
Lake County is now 52-43 on the season and 17-12 in the second half four games behind first place West Michigan.
The two teams will play again on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Emmet Sheehan a righthander will take the mound for the Loons. He is 5-2 with a 3.49 ERA. Rodney Boone will be on the hill for the Captains. Boone, a lefty is 1-2 with a 4.88 ERA..
POSTED 08/02/2022 22:38