Captains lose extra inning thriller 5-4
BY TIM SHIRER
CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER
(EASTLAKE, OH) - The Lake County Captains and Great Lakes Loons played game three of their six game set on Thursday night. The two teams split the first two. Thursday night was an extra inning thriller which did not end in favor of the Captains as the Loons won 5-4 in 11 innings sending the Classic Park crowd of 1,161 home disappointed.
The Loons picked up right where they left off on Wednesday night in their 14-4 pounding of the Captains when Damon Keith (Dodgers 18th round 2021), hitting third in the Loons lineup, in his first High-A at bat blasted an Aaron Davenport pitch over the right field wall for a home run giving the Loons a 1-0 lead.
The Captains came right back in the bottom of the first when Joe Naranjo blasted his 14th homer of the season over the right field fence to tie the game of Loons starter Nick Nastrini.
The Captains took the lead in the top of the fourth when Naranjo drew a base on balls to start the start the innings. After Alexfri Planez grounded out moving Naranjo to second base. Jonathan Rodriguez then blasted his 17th home run of the season over the left field wall giving the Lake County a 3-1 lead.
The Captains added to their lead in the eighth inning when Loon’s reliever Braydon Fisher walked the bases loaded (Connor Kokx, Milan Tolentino, Joe Naranjo) before being replaced by Jake Cantleberry with no outs in the inning. Cantleberry retired the first two batters he faced and looked like he would escape without any damage. But with Petey Halpin at the plate Cantleberry uncorked a wild pitch allowing Kokx to trot home with the Captains fourth run of the game extending the lead to 4-1. Cantleberry then struck out Halpin to end the inning.
The Loons being the Loons would not go away rallying for three runs in the ninth inning to tie the game on what else two home runs. The first long ball was a two-run shot by Jose Ramos and then Imanol Vargas blasted a solo shot to tie the game.
The game that was ruled by the long ball finally was decided on a throwing error. Ismael Alcantara started the inning as the Rob Manfred at second base for the Loons, he pinch ran for Max Hewitt. Eddys Leonard struck out but Captains catcher Zac Fascia who entered the game in the tenth inning dropped the ball. He threw to first base for the out. Captains first baseman Joe Naranjo then threw to third base, the throw was errant rolling about 10 to 15 feet up the left field line allowing Alcantara to scamper home with the go ahead run.
The bottom began with Jonathan Rodriguez being the Manfred runner. After Loons reliever Ryan Sublette struck out Halpin he issued base on balls to Gabriel Rodriguez and Aaron Bracho to load the bases. Fascia then struck out for the second out of the inning. Connor Kokx then who had walked twice in the game prior to this at bat worked the count to 3-2 before fouled off two pitches hard into the stands down the left field line, then another to the screen by the first base dugout, then another down the third baseline foul nearly hitting Captains manager Greg DiCenzo. But in the end home plate umpire Glen Meyerhofer must have had someplace to go because he called a clear inside pitch for a third strike to end the game leaving the bases loaded.
Sublette picked up the win for the Loons. He pitched two scoreless innings issuing three base on balls and striking out four Captains. With the win Sublette improves to 5-1 with a 3.30 ERA. Zach Hart took the loss in relief for Lake County pitching two innings allowing one run (the Rob Manfred runner) it was unearned on no hits and one base on balls. He also struck out three Loons. With the loss Hart falls to 4-2 with a 4.73 ERA.
The two teams will play game four on Friday night Carlos Duran will be on the mound for the Loons. Duran, a righthander is 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA. Doug Nikhazy a lefty will tow the rubber for Lake County. Nikhazy is 2-4 with a 3.31 ERA.
POSTED 08/04/2022 22:50