Fort Wayne splits weekend games

FORT WAYNE — After a couple bad innings to start Saturday’s game, it was all TinCaps.

Then it carried over into Sunday’s contest too.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps began their three-game series with the Dayton Dragons at Parkview Field by losing Saturday night, 14-7, and rebounding Sunday afternoon for a 7-1 victory.

Fort Wayne is now 12-23 in the second half and 45-58 overall on the season, while Dayton, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, moved to 15-29 (43-62).

Saturday featured an abysmal start for the TinCaps as the first six Dragons to bat all scored. It included a grand slam from Brian Rey, who went on to set Dayton franchise record with eight RBIs.

Rey finished 3-for-5, including a bases-clearing triple in the second inning and a solo home run, his eighth, in the fourth inning.

TinCap starter Efraín Contreras failed to record an out in suffering his fifth loss of the season. He allowed six earned runs on four hits with two walks. 

Miguel Hernandez also homered for Dayton as part of a seven-run second frame, pitting the Dragons to a commanding 13-0 lead.

From there, it was all TinCaps for the remainder of the game, but the damage had already been done.

Justin Lopez hit a three-run home run to right field in the home half of the second inning to make it 13-3. Dayton scored for the final time in the fourth inning, and Fort Wayne touched home twice in the seventh and eighth frames.

Jawuan Harris hit a two-run double in the seventh and Michael Curry launched his seventh home run of the season one frame later.

With Saturday’s game in the past, Fort Wayne jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Sunday afternoon.

Ethan Skender, a 2016 draft pick who missed the first three seasons of his professional career because of knee injuries, hit a three-run homer in the second inning. It was his first as a TinCap after joining the squad two weeks ago.

Skender, 22, also had an RBI single in the fourth and finished his day with three hits.

Juan Fernandez also scored in the fourth inning on a double steal and Tucupita Marcano later followed with an RBI single.

Agustin Ruiz, who collected a double and a pair of singles, reached home in the fifth frame on a wild pitch for Fort Wayne’s final run.

Dayton didn’t score until the top of the sixth.

TinCap outfielder Dwanya Williams-Sutton singled on Saturday, and following a two-walk day on Sunday he extended his on-base streak to 16 consecutive games, the second longest in the Midwest League.

Cullen Dana threw 5 2/3 innings, allowed one unearned run on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk. He picked up his first win as a TinCap.

The rubber match between Fort Wayne and Dayton is slated for 7:05 p.m. tonight. Joey Cantillo, the San Diego Padres’ No. 19 prospect, will square off against the Reds’ No. 13 prospect Lyon Richardson.