HomeCommunity InformationEditorialNews ArchivesSports

Lake County Sentinel
Captains complete second doubleheader sweep over Cubs 2-1, 5-0 
          BY TIM SHIRER
CAPTAINS BEAT WRITER
(EASTLAKE, OH) – The Lake County Captains and South Bend Cubs partook in their second doubleheader in three days on Saturday afternoon/evening. The Captains swept Thursday’s DH and dropped the single game on Friday Night. The Captains won game one 2-1 in exceedingly rare fashion in eight innings and completed the sweep in the night cap with a 5-0 shutout.

Game one was a good old fashion righthanded pitcher’s duel. Hunter Gaddis was on the mound for Lake County. Gaddis entered the game with a 2-3 record and a 6.39 ERA and Ryan Jensen was on the hill for the Cubs. Jensen entered the start with a 2-4 record and a 7.11. Throw those numbers out the


















 window as both guys looked brilliant through five
 innings. Jensen, the Chicago Cubs number 1 pick (27th overall) in the 2019 Amateur Draft out of Fresno State was perfect through six innings while striking out three Captains. Samuel Reyes relieved Jensen to start the seventh inning and pitched two perfect innings to complete the game, he struck out. Jensen had thrown 77 pitches, 54 were strikes. Gaddis countered with six innings of one hit baseball, striking out eight Cubs and issuing one base on balls. Jerson Ramirez took over for Gaddis to start the seventh inning and was flawless striking out one Cubs hitter. Gaddis exited after throwing 84 pitches, 52 were strikes.

In the top of the eighth inning because of the Rob Manfred rule the Cubs started the frame with Jake Slaughter at second base. Slaughter per the rule started the inning at second due to the fact he made the last out of the seventh inning. The Rob Manfred rule which was implemented to speed up the game and each team begins each extra inning with a runner on second base. With Slaughter at second base Matt Warkentin doubled over the head of Captains left fielder Victor Nova, Slaughter was held at third base. Ramirez then issued a base on balls to Bradlee Beesley to load the bases. Harrison Wenson then got the job done when he hit a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Slaughter from third base and giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

The eighth inning was a nightmare for Ramirez. The inning began with Jose Tena at second base. Bryan Lavastida then doubled moving Tena to third base. South Bend then intentionally walked Joe Naranjo to load the bases. The Captains tied the game when Aaron Bracho hit a sacrifice fly to center field and Tena trotted home with the tying run. South Bend Manager Michael Ryan then decided to load the bases again by issuing a free pass to Raynel Delgado who entered the at bat hitting .186. After the Delgado free pass Victor Nova struck out for the second out of the inning. With Austen Wade at the plate and after the strike on a three one count South Bend catcher Harrison Wenson made a routine throw to Reyes and it deflected off is glove, Lavastida saw the opportunity and slid across the plate before Reyes could get to the ball and throw it to Wenson giving the Captains a 2-1 win.

Ramirez picked up the win for the Captains it was his first of the season he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Reyes took the hard luck loss and falls to 2-2 with a 4.88 ERA.

Game two was the opposite of game one as the Captains got on the board with three runs in the first inning. Will Brennan led the inning off with a double to left field. Cubs starter Joe Nahas then hit Brayan Rocchio with a fast ball putting men on first and second for George Valera. Valera however was not able to come through and struck out looking. Bryan Lavastida then flew out to right field, Brennan tagged and moved to third base. With runners at the corners and Joe Naranjo at the plate Nahas uncorked a wild pitch moving Rocchio to second base. One pitch late Nahas uncorked a second wild pitch and Brennan scored the first run of the game giving the Captains a 1-0 lead, Rocchio moved to third base. Naranjo then reached base on a fielding error by Cubs first baseman Grayson Byrd Rocchio came home on the play with lake County’s second run. Raynel Delgado then singled to right field and Naranjo moved all the way to third base. With men at the corners Cubs catcher on an attempt to catch Delgado stealing threw the ball into center field and Naranjo crossed the plate increasing the Captains lead to 3-0. The stolen base was Delgado’s 10th of the season.

Lake County added another run in the bottom of the second inning when Clark Scolamiero belted his second home run of the season. The home run traveled approximately 405 feet.


The Captains added a fifth run in the fourth inning when Michael Amditis blasted his second home run of the season over the left center field wall.

Meanwhile Captains starter Kevin Coulter, a righthander went five scoreless innings allowing only three hits and struck out three batters. Jared Janczak came in to relieve Coulter to start the sixth inning and pitched two scoreless innings that included two base on balls and four strike outs.

Coulter picked up the win and improves to 4-3 with a 6.97 ERA. Nahas took the loss for the Cubs. He went for innings allowing five runs, three were earned on five hits. He also allowed two base on balls and struck out two Captains. With the loss Nahas falls to 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA.

With the sweep the Captains improve to 29-24 and move into second place in the High-A Central Eastern Division behind the first place Dayton Dragons.
The Captains and Cubs will finish the six game series on Sunday night at 6:35 p.m. The Cubs will send Chris Kachmar to the hill. Kachmar is a righthander, he is 0-2 with a 5.30 ERA. The Captains will counter with righthander Mason Hickman. Hickman is 3-3 with a 5.67 ERA.
tshirer@lakecountysentinel.com or follow Tim on Twitter @TBBucsTim Check out our IndiansNation fan Page
​POSTED 07/03/2021 22:04
Lake County Captains pitcher Hunter Gaddis.       Photo by Tim Shirer