Captains skid hits four with 11-5 loss to Whitecaps

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Lake County Sentinel

Captains skid hits four with 11-5 loss to Whitecaps

BY TIM SHIRER

CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER

(EASTLAKE, OH) – The Lake County Captains had a needed day of on Monday and on Tuesday night commenced a six-game series with the West Michigan Whitecaps. Unfortunately the Captains could not hold on to an early lead fell for the fourth straight time on Tuesday, this results was 11-5 in fav. of the visiting Whitecaps sending the 1,449 home unhappy.

In the final three games of their series with Lansing, which they lost all three games, the Lugnuts outscored the Captains 22-9. The Captains set out early on Tuesday night to not let the same thing happen against the Whitecaps with three runs in the first inning off Whitecaps starter Brendan White. White, a righthander was in trouble right away when he issued back-to-back base on balls to Julian Escobedo and George Valera to start the inning. Things continued to go south for the righthander when Jose Tena singled and drove home Escobedo to give the Captains a 1-0 lead. Micah Pries then reached on an error by Whitecap’s shortstop Gage Workman sending home Valera with the Captains second run. Victor Nova then added to White’s trouble when he singled to right field driving home Tena to cap off the Lake County bottom of the first.

The Whitecaps chipped away at the lead in the third inning when Ulrich Bojarski led off the inning with a solo home run off Captains starter Kevin Coulter who had retired the first six hitters in the game.

West Michigan tied the game in the fourth inning when Andrew Navigato singled to left field. Daniel Cabrera then followed and reached base on a throwing error by Captains first baseman Joe Naranjo moving Navigato to second base. Eric De La Rosa followed by reaching first base on a 3-6-1-6 fielder’s choice where Cabrera was retired and Navigato moved to third. After De La Rosa stole second base, his 22nd theft of the season Reyaldo Rivera drew a base on balls to load the bases. The big blow in the inning came next when Gage Workman hit a laser shot ground rule double over the left centerfield fence onto the grass sending home Navigato and De La Rosa tying the game 3-3. After Bojarski grounded out and Rivera held at third base with two outs coulter issued a balls to Jose King to load the bases. That ended the night for Coulter as he was relieved by Tim Herrin. Herrin was able to contain the damage and keep the scored tied as he struck out Cooper Johnson on a check swing that went to far to end the inning.

The Captains broke the 3-3 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs in the frame Joe Naranjo singled to short left field. Naranjo moved to second on a passed ball by Whitecap’s catcher Cooper Johnson. On a 1-1 pitch Raynel Delgado slapped a White pitch to right field and Naranjo crossed the plate with the Captains fourth run giving them the 4-3 lead.

The Whitecaps took the lead in the eighth when Kevin Kelly replaced Herrin to start the eighth inning and it was ugly. Kelly had to put it mildly a bad inning as he allowed five runs all earned on three hits, including a home run, one base on balls and struck out three.

There was also a controversial catcher’s interference on Captains catcher Joe Donovan. Captain’s skipper Greg DiCenzo was ejected from the game for arguing the interference call with home plate umpire Bobby Tassone. When the dust settled, and the inning ended the Whitecaps were on top 8-4.

The Captains added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Jose Tena blasted a solo home run over the right field fence. The blast for Tena was his 11th of the season. The Captains loaded the bases with one out after the Tena home run but were unable to get the runs across the plate as Whitecaps reliever Zack Hess struck out Donovan and Quentin Holmes to end the threat.

Just for good measure the Whitecaps added three runs in the top of the ninth off the third Captains reliever of the night Kellen Rholl.

Bryce Tassin picked up the win in relief for the Whitecaps. Tassin went one and a third innings clean innings striking out two Captains. With the win Tassin improves to 4-5 with a 2.43 ERA). Kelly took the loss for Lake County. Kelly pitched the above mentioned one inning. With the loss he falls to 1-4 with a 5.44 ERA.

The two clubs will play game two of the series on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Lefty Adam Wolf will be on the mound for the Whitecaps. Wolf is 3-3 with a 3.83 ERA. The Captains will send Tanner Burns to the mound. Burns, a righty is 2-4 with a 3.63 ERA.