June 5, 2019 at 4:50 p.m.
Rally ’Caps
Two runs in each of the sixth and eighth innings helps Fort Wayne past Lake County, 4-3
Rally ’Caps
FORT WAYNE — The TinCap offense was stagnant the first two trips through the order.
Luis Oviedo struggled the third time through.
The Fort Wayne TinCaps scored the final four runs of the game — two each in the sixth and eighth innings — to rally past the Lake County Captains 4-3 Tuesday at Parkview Field.
“From a confidence standpoint it’s huge,” said TinCap manager Anthony Contreras, whose team got swept at home over the weekend against the Great Lakes Loons and was a day removed from its first break after playing 22 games in the previous 21 days.
“I think looking at the way the game was going and for these guys to keep the intensity and effort level up there was big for them, especially against this team. They swept us at their place (May 13 through 15) and they’re also at the top of the standings.”
Blake Hunt, a 20-year-old catcher who finished 2-for-3 with his first triple of the season, said Monday’s much-needed day of rest between series allowed the TinCaps (27-29) to refocus.
“We threw away that series, we moved from it, we moved on and set a new standard,” he said. “Tonight we came out with energy; not from the get-go but we figured it out.”
Consecutive fly outs to center field to begin the bottom of the sixth inning marked the ninth straight TinCap batter Oviedo had retired.
But he wasn’t able to make it 10 in a row.
Aldemar Burgos walked on four straight pitches, and Justin Lopez roped a double to right field for Fort Wayne’s first run of the night. Hunt, who now has six hits in his last four games, put a 1-0 slider from Oviedo off the wall in right field and labored all the way to third. Lopez scored in the process to cut the lead for Lake County (34-22). The Cleveland Indians affiliate is second in the Midwest League Eastern Division standings, to 3-2.
Fort Wayne sits fifth in the division, 8 1/2 games behind first-place Great Lakes (35-20).
“Oviedo was throwing a lot of offspeed today,” Hunt said. “I was ready for it and I just let it get deep and just poked it that way. I wasn’t purposely trying to hit it that way but it definitely helped they were shifted (toward left field).
Smiling, Hunt continued: “First triple of the year. With this speed I don’t know if I’ll get any more but I’ll keep trying.”
Juwuan Harris got hit to start the eighth inning and reached second base on a fielder’s choice. Burgos drove him home for the tying run on a single to left field.
Lopez walked to put two on, and Hunt ripped a single off the wall in left field. Fort Wayne was poised to take the lead on Hunt’s single, but Burgos got tripped up rounding third.
Luis Oviedo struggled the third time through.
The Fort Wayne TinCaps scored the final four runs of the game — two each in the sixth and eighth innings — to rally past the Lake County Captains 4-3 Tuesday at Parkview Field.
“From a confidence standpoint it’s huge,” said TinCap manager Anthony Contreras, whose team got swept at home over the weekend against the Great Lakes Loons and was a day removed from its first break after playing 22 games in the previous 21 days.
“I think looking at the way the game was going and for these guys to keep the intensity and effort level up there was big for them, especially against this team. They swept us at their place (May 13 through 15) and they’re also at the top of the standings.”
Blake Hunt, a 20-year-old catcher who finished 2-for-3 with his first triple of the season, said Monday’s much-needed day of rest between series allowed the TinCaps (27-29) to refocus.
“We threw away that series, we moved from it, we moved on and set a new standard,” he said. “Tonight we came out with energy; not from the get-go but we figured it out.”
Consecutive fly outs to center field to begin the bottom of the sixth inning marked the ninth straight TinCap batter Oviedo had retired.
But he wasn’t able to make it 10 in a row.
Aldemar Burgos walked on four straight pitches, and Justin Lopez roped a double to right field for Fort Wayne’s first run of the night. Hunt, who now has six hits in his last four games, put a 1-0 slider from Oviedo off the wall in right field and labored all the way to third. Lopez scored in the process to cut the lead for Lake County (34-22). The Cleveland Indians affiliate is second in the Midwest League Eastern Division standings, to 3-2.
Fort Wayne sits fifth in the division, 8 1/2 games behind first-place Great Lakes (35-20).
“Oviedo was throwing a lot of offspeed today,” Hunt said. “I was ready for it and I just let it get deep and just poked it that way. I wasn’t purposely trying to hit it that way but it definitely helped they were shifted (toward left field).
Smiling, Hunt continued: “First triple of the year. With this speed I don’t know if I’ll get any more but I’ll keep trying.”
Juwuan Harris got hit to start the eighth inning and reached second base on a fielder’s choice. Burgos drove him home for the tying run on a single to left field.
Lopez walked to put two on, and Hunt ripped a single off the wall in left field. Fort Wayne was poised to take the lead on Hunt’s single, but Burgos got tripped up rounding third.
Agustin Ruiz knocked him in three pitches later with a sacrifice fly to deep left field.
“It was just passing the wand from guy to guy,” Hunt said of the rally. “Just go up there and have a quality at bat and that’s what we’re preaching right now; just go up there and finding a way to get on. That’s what we did.”
Twelve of Austin Smith’s 14 pitches, one of which touched 96 miles per hour, went for strikes as he shut the door on the Captains in the ninth to get the save. Jose Quezada earned the win in relief, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Lake County grabbed a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning as Will Benson hit a two-run triple to right field. Two innings later Benson collected his third RBI with a single to the right side, scoring Jose Fermin, who reached on an error by TinCap third baseman Kelvin Melean.
Fort Wayne starter Gabe Mosser had another strong outing. The righty from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, allowed two earned runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings and added another eight strikeouts but did not factor into the decision. In his last three starts he’s surrendered three earned runs and fanned 22 in 18 1/3 frames.
“It was just passing the wand from guy to guy,” Hunt said of the rally. “Just go up there and have a quality at bat and that’s what we’re preaching right now; just go up there and finding a way to get on. That’s what we did.”
Twelve of Austin Smith’s 14 pitches, one of which touched 96 miles per hour, went for strikes as he shut the door on the Captains in the ninth to get the save. Jose Quezada earned the win in relief, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Lake County grabbed a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning as Will Benson hit a two-run triple to right field. Two innings later Benson collected his third RBI with a single to the right side, scoring Jose Fermin, who reached on an error by TinCap third baseman Kelvin Melean.
Fort Wayne starter Gabe Mosser had another strong outing. The righty from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, allowed two earned runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings and added another eight strikeouts but did not factor into the decision. In his last three starts he’s surrendered three earned runs and fanned 22 in 18 1/3 frames.
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