Hartson has strong outing in loss to TinCaps
(Eastlake, OH) - Lake County Captains reliever Brock Hartson pitched 5.2 shutout innings, but only after the Fort Wayne TinCaps tallied nine runs in the first four innings of the ballgame. The Captains lost to Fort Wayne on Sunday at Classic Park, 9-3.
Fort Wayne went up early on a solo home run by Ty France to lead off the second inning, but the TinCaps really blew the game open in the third and fourth. Fort Wayne produced twin four-run innings to take a sudden 9-0 lead.
In the third, Kodie Tidwell struck first with an RBI triple to left-center field, scoring Jhonatan Pena who had reached on an infield single. Captains starter Sam Hentges then walked Tyler Moore and he eventually came home to score on a passed ball. Later in the frame, France knocked in his second RBI of the game with a single and Carlos Belen added a run with an RBI single of his own.
Tidwell and France again did major damage in the fourth. Tidwell hit a long two-run home run over the double-decker signs in right field after Pena, again, reached on an infield single. Hentges then walked Moore again and allowed Michael Gettys to single, moving Moore to third. After Gettys stole second for his league-leading 21st steal of the year, France drove both runners home with a single to make it 9-0.
Lake County got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the fourth. TinCaps starter Enyel De Los Santos hit Nate Winfrey to lead off the inning and Connor Marabell doubled to put two men into scoring position. Winfrey scored on a passed ball and Martin Cervenka hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Marabell. Cervenka later hit a solo home run to right field in the ninth to produce Lake County's last run.
Marabell had a strong game at the plate with multiple extra-base hits for a second day in a row. The left-hand hitter doubled in the fourth and hit another double off of the leg of Fort Wayne reliever Nick Monroe in the sixth. Marabell was a home run away from hitting for the cycle the night before. He has four doubles and a triple in the last three games.
Hartson was called in to reliever Hentges in the fourth with a runner on first and one out. The right-hander got through the inning with a fielder's choice and lineout. He then proceeded to throw five more shutout innings and only gave up three hits. Hartson only allowed one runner to reach scoring position and struck out a pair without walking any TinCaps batters.
Hentges (1-4) took the loss, allowing nine runs, eight earned, over 3.1 innings. The left-hander gave up 10 hits, walked a pair and struck out three.
De Los Santos (3-1) picked up the win for the TinCaps. He went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits. De Los Santos struck out four, hit a batter and gave up one walk.
Lake County will look to split the four-game series against Fort Wayne when the two teams conclude their series on Monday at Classic Park. Monday's game is a 1 PM first pitch as the Captains will pay tribute to Memorial Day with the special start time. God Bless America will be sung in the seventh inning stretch. Gates open at noon.
Individual game tickets are on sale at the Classic Park box office, online at captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-WINS (9467). Full season tickets plans, 12-, 20-, and 35-game mini ticket plans for the 2016 season are on sale now at great prices complete with several exclusive benefits. Information can be found at the Captains website www.captainsbaseball.com.