Cardiac Captains Defeat Dragons 4-3 in Game 1 of Midwest League East Division Championship Series

Lake County scored three runs on four hits in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday night.

By Tyler Danburg

September 11, 2024

DAYTON, OH – With the Lake County Captains (77-53) (1-0) leading the Dayton Dragons (74-58) (0-1) 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, LHP Shawn Rapp inherited runners on the corners with no outs. The left-hander got a swinging strikeout, a successful play at the plate from 1B Ralphy Velazquez

DAYTON, OH – With the Lake County Captains (77-53) (1-0) leading the Dayton Dragons (74-58) (0-1) 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, LHP Shawn Rapp inherited runners on the corners with no outs. The left-hander got a swinging strikeout, a successful play at the plate from 1B Ralphy Velazquez and C Jacob Cozart, and another swinging strikeout to win Game 1 of the 2024 Midwest League East Championship Series on Tuesday at Day Air Ballpark.

Rapp earned the save, while RHP Zach Jacobs (1-0) garnered the win with 2.1 scoreless, hitless innings of relief. Dragons RHP Simon Miller (0-1) tallied the loss, allowing three runs in the top of the ninth.

Lake County entered the top of the ninth with just one run on two hits.

But RF Wuilfredo Antunez and CF Jake Fox, MLB Pipeline’s No. 26 Cleveland prospect, each roped a single to put runners on first and second with one out in the half-inning. Then, Velazquez, MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 Cleveland and No. 72 overall prospect, mashed a game-tying RBI double. In the ensuing at-bat, Cozart, MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 Cleveland prospect ripped a go-ahead, two-run single to give the Captains a 4-3 lead.

Lake County LHP Matt Wilkinson (ND), MLB Pipeline’s No. 30 Cleveland prospect, and Dayton RHP Ryan Cardona (ND) dueled on the rubber. Wilkinson spun 5.2 innings, allowing an earned run on a game-tying RBI single from CF Jay Allen II in the top of the fifth, and an unearned run when SS Leo Balcazar, MLB Pipeline’s No. 29 Cincinnati prospect, scored on a Jacobs wild pitch in the top of the sixth.

Cardona pitched seven innings and threw a season-high 100 pitches. His lone run allowed came from a solo homer by SS Angel Genao, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 Cleveland and No. 87 overall prospect, in the second at-bat of the game. Genao has now hit safely in 54 of 66 games as a Captain.

After an off day on Wednesday, the Captains will host Game 2 of the 2024 Midwest League East Division Championship Series on Thursday, September 12 at 6:35 p.m. from Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

The contest will be an MiLB Free Game of the Day, and will be broadcast for free on MLB.com. It will also be broadcast on the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

Notes to Know

- Across the regular season and postseason, Lake County now has eight wins when trailing in the ninth inning. Its seven such wins during the regular season ranked tied for second in Minor League Baseball with Double-A Tulsa (Los Angeles – NL).

- The Captains are now 19-14 in the Midwest League Playoffs dating back to their 2010 MWL Championship season, the team’s inaugural year in the league.

- Between the 2024 NCAA Tournament and Midwest League Playoffs, C Jacob Cozart is batting .406 (13-for-32) with eight RBI. His go-ahead two-run single in the top of the ninth gave him the first two RBI of his professional career.

The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.