Captains rebound, pummel Dragons 14-4 to take series

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Captains rebound, pummel Dragons 14-4 to take series

BY TIM SHIRER

CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER

(EASTLAKE, OH) – The Lake County Captains were pounded by the Dayton Dragons on Saturday night 15-4. Sunday afternoon as happens often in baseball the tables were turned and the Captains smacked around the Dragons 14-4 to complete the series win 4-2 in front of 1,651 at Classic Park.

The Dragons got on the board first in the first inning off Captain’s starter Mason Hickman. Hickman in his last start at home on May 16th pitched five no-hit innings, striking out seven an issuing two base on balls. On Sunday after the run in the first inning when he allowed a double and a base on balls the Dragons only managed three more hits over next four and two third innings while striking out five Dragons.

Meanwhile the Captains offense starting with a seven run second inning. The blows in the inning came off the bats of Raynel Delgado and Austen Wade. Raynel struck for a two-run home run after Jose Tena tripled to lead off the inning and Joe Naranjo singled. Dayton starting pitcher Spencer Stockton then issued a base on balls to Victor Nova and Wade followed with a home run over the right field fence into the grass. The final two runs of the inning came after singles by Will Brennan and Bryan Lavastida with two outs, in his second at bat of the inning Tena belted a double to centerfield driving home Brennan and Lavastida to give the Captains the 7-1 lead.

The Captains added three more runs in the fourth inning off Dragon’s reliever Miguel Medrano. Medrano entered the game with two outs in the second inning after Stockton had thrown 38 pitches. He also pitched a scoreless third inning. But in the fourth he was not as effective as he failed to finish the inning when he allowed a one out double, issued two base on balls and then his day ended when he allowed two consecutive singles to Delgado which drove in two runs and Nova who drove in the final run of the inning increasing the Captains lead to 10-1.

The Captains final four runs off the game came in the fifth inning when Joe Donovan blasted his first home of his career over the professional career it was a solo shot. Donovan who signed with the Indians as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Michigan. Donovan did show some pop in his bat with the Wolverines as he belted nine home runs in 63 games in 2019. Donovan did play one summer in 2018 with the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League and hit .308. The Cape Cod League is known for having the best college prospects of any College wood bat league.

The rest of Lake County’s runs in the fifth inning came after one out and Brayan Rocchio doubled to left field, Lavastida was hit by a pitch and Tena to left field driving home both Rocchio and Lavastida. Dayton reliever Jacques Pucheu walked Naranjo and Delgado. Tena then came home when Nova hit a sac-fly to right field driving home the final Captains run of the game.

The Dragons finished out the scoring in the seventh inning with three runs all earned of reliever Tim Herrin.

Delgado and Tena went a combined five for seven in the game with four RBI each. With the win the Captains improve to 15-15. And are 2.5 games behind first place West Michigan in the High-A Central Eastern Division.

Hickman picked up the win for Lake County and improves to 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA. The win was Hickman’s first at home. Stockton took the loss for Dayton and falls to 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA.

The Captains will be off on Monday and back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Fort Wayne to take on the TinCaps at 7:05 p.m. for game one of a six game series.