by The Lake Country Captains defeated Midwestern League East foe Lansing Lugnuts by a score of 7-6 in 11 innings at Classic Park on Tuesday night. Although trailing heading into the bottom 8th, 10th, and 11th, the Captains displayed true resilience as they stole game one of this five-game set.
Right-hander Zach Jacobs was given the nod for Lake County. After tossing two scoreless, the Lugnuts managed to plate the contest’s first run across thanks to an RBI double from left-fielder Jonny Butler. Lake County patrolman out in center Jake Fox made a great effort, lunging for the ball, but could not corral it.
Lansing’s first two arms shut down the Captain’s lineup through the first three innings. Starter Luis Morales went 2 solid innings, only allowing one hit. Replacement Grant Judkins kept momentum in Lansing’s dugout, shutting the door in the bottom of the third.
Jacobs walked the first two batters in the top of the fourth, becoming shakier with his command as the game progressed. Righty Matt Jachec was called from the bullpen and immediately made his presence known, fanning 3 consecutive Lugnut batters, and stranding two runners on base. Jacobs finished his day with 3 innings pitched, allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, 1 earned run, and punching out 2.
To get something going, Lake County catcher Cooper Ingle ignited the crowd, blasting a solo shot soaring over the right field wall. Ingle’s 7th home run of the year tied the game at 1. A quiet 5th inning ensued by both ball clubs, the Lugnuts went up by 1 in the sixth. First baseman Will Simpson and third baseman Luke Mann reached base with no outs in the inning. Jachec got the next 2 batters out, reminiscent of his dominant fourth-inning performance, but catcher CJ Rodriguez flared one into right field, driving in Simpson.
Jay Driver subbed in for Jachec to face the top of Lansing’s lineup in the seventh. Jachec pitched 3 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, and striking out 5. Jachec’s funky delivery, and peculiar arm slot, to go along with impressive velocity kept the Lansing’s hitters at bay.
Driver let up a lead-off home run to Butler who had hit a missile that went out of the ballpark quickly. However, Driver managed to settle in and complete his inning without allowing more runs to cross. Fox picked up his reliever, blasting a solo shot to hill out past the right field fence.
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Colton Johnson for Lansing came in with a runner on first base. Johnson is as reliable as it gets for a bullpen arm. The southpaw showcases five pitches he can choose from and leads the team with 8 saves. He struck out the next batter but gave up a single to designated hitter Jorge Burgos. With runners on second and third, Jake Fox delivered an RBI single to left field. The game-tying run scored, but Burgos, the go-ahead run, was thrown out at home.
Neither club scored in the ninth, which meant that the home fans received bonus baseball. Pandemonium struck in the tenth. Allan Hernandez was called to pitch and got two outs back-to-back. With a full count on the next hitter, Hernandez fired a fastball at the knees but did not get the call. A loud groan from the Lake County faithful could be heard throughout Classic Park. Lansing’s eight and nine hitters answer the bell with RBI singles of their own, giving the Lugnuts a two-run lead.
Just when all hope was lost, the Captains scored two runs, thanks to more heroics from the hot bat of Cooper Ingle. Lake County had runners on the corners with 1 out and failed to drive in the winning run. Just as the top of the tenth, Hernandez worked his way to two outs and two strikes on the batter. Lansing found a way to plate a run,
Down by 1, with one out and runners on first and third, lead-off hitter Angel Genao scolded a ball out of reach of the second baseman’s glove, walking the game off in dramatic fashion, and giving Lake County a gritty win. Genao was due for a hit, after struggling all day, going a frustrating 0-for-5.
Third baseman Alex Mooney went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk. Ingle, proving to be the best-hitting catcher in the Midwestern League, went 2-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. The Asheville North Carolina native is hitting an astounding .340 for the season. Fox, Burgos, and right fielder Guy Lipscomb also tallied 2 hits apiece.
Lake County clinched a playoff berth, winning the first half of their season. With this win, they are now 9-6 in the second half. Game 2 is underway, as the first pitch was slated for 11:05 this morning at Classic Park. The score is knotted up at 1 in the top of the fourth.
