Nearly no-hitter for ’Caps

FORT WAYNE — Despite not having his best stuff, Joey Cantillo didn’t allow a hit for six innings.

Sam Keating had a clean seventh inning in his first appearance out of the bullpen.

Jose Quezada retired the first three Whitecaps he faced.

Daniel Reyes broke up the potential for history.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps took a no-hitter into the ninth inning and got most of their offense during the seventh in an 8-0 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday afternoon at Parkview Field.

It was the fourth straight win for the TinCaps (17-25 second half, 50-60 overall), who matched their longest such streak of the season. It marked back-to-back home victories against the Whitecaps (14-28, 35-76), a Detroit Tigers affiliate.

“It was huge,” Fort Wayne starting pitcher Joey Cantillo said of the win. “It was a tight game early. For (the offense) to have a big inning like that … that was huge to get that big inning like that. We have studs. Hitting is contagious. It was good to see that.”

Sunday’s focus, however, was on the pitchers.

Cantillo walked three of the first six batters he faced, but a pickoff and a double play helped him only face one over the minimum in that span. 

He finished with seven strikeouts and retired the final 13 Whitecaps he faced.

“Definitely not my best outing,” said Cantillo, a 19-year-old from Kailua, Hawaii. “Didn’t have my best stuff but it was definitely cool to see six no-hit innings.”

On June 26, Cantillo didn’t allow a hit until the eighth inning of a 9-1 win over the South Bend Cubs.

With Sunday’s effort, Cantillo lowered his Midwest League-best ERA to 1.93. He also leads the league in strikeouts (128) and WHIP (0.87)

“From the fans’ perspective and media’s perspective it’s pretty good with that stat line,” TinCap manager Anthony Contreras said of Cantillo, who improved to 9-3 on the year. “I think he’s pitched a lot better this year over the course of the season.

“He has stuff that can get guys out when he’s not his best so that’s encouraging to see; you’re not always going to have your best stuff and for him to go out there and put up zeroes, obviously no hits is a pretty cool thing to see but encouraging to see when you don’t have your best stuff you can go out there and dominate the baseball.”

In his first relief appearance after making 13 starts this season, Keating had a perfect seventh inning, including two strikeouts.

Quezada hit the first batter he faced in the eighth, but three consecutive strikeouts ended any threat.

Reyes stepped into the box to start the ninth, and he rifled a 2-1 single over shortstop Tucupita Marcano to break up the combined no-hit bid.

“The hit, it happens some times,” said TinCap manager Anthony Contreras. “No-hitters get broken up the last out of the game. But it’s baseball and we’re just happy to be playing good baseball and got the win.”

It would have been the first TinCap no-hitter since May 9, 2013, when Max Fried, Matthew Shepherd, Leonel Campos and Roman Madrid combined to blank the Great Lakes Loons, 1-0.

Fort Wayne got the only run it really needed in the fourth inning. Dwanya Williams-Sutton got hit by a pitch — the second time of the game and 24th time this season — to lead off the frame and reached third on an Agustin Ruiz double. Ethan Skender singled to the left side to bring home the eventual game-winning run.

After getting hit by a pitch in the first inning, Williams-Sutton extended his on-base streak to 22 games, matching the longest streak this season set by Xavier Edwards, who was promoted to High-A Lake Elsinore on July 9.

The TinCaps broke the game wide open three frames later with a seven-run frame.

Justin Lopez led off with a solo home run to right field and later beat out an infield single for another RBI.

Jawuan Harris walked in a run with bases loaded, Williams-Sutton drove in two with a single, Ruiz scored a run on a sacrifice fly and Skender chipped in an RBI double.