Season High In Hits Boosts TinCaps
LANSING, Mich. – The TinCaps had their most prolific offensive day of the season on Sunday afternoon, blowing past the Lugnuts, 12-7, at Cooley Law School Stadium. Fort Wayne tied a season-high with those 12 runs, and also compiled a new season-high 20 hits, en route to the victory.
Ten of the 11 batters that came to the plate against Lansing (25-19) pitchers reached base safely. An astounding seven Fort Wayne (15-26) hitters had multi-hit days, with six different players driving in runs. Second baseman Felipe Blanco finished 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
The TinCaps scored three runs in the second inning to pull in front first. Six hitters reached base in the inning and Edwin Moreno, Blanco, and Ruddy Giron all drove in runs off of Lugnuts starter Conner Greene.
The visitors weren’t done with Greene, though. The next frame, Blanco singled in two runs to extend the TinCaps lead to 5-0.
The home team punched back in the bottom of the third. Five runs came across the plate, as the inning was highlighted by Rowdy Tellez’s three-run home run over the wall in center, which tied the game at 5-5.
Francisco Morales’ bunch entered the fourth undaunted after the five-run inning. They tagged reliever Starlyn Suriel (L, 3-2) for two runs. Franchy Cordero started the frame with a solo home run into the lawn seats past the right-center field fence. Next, Michael Gettys doubled, and later tagged and scored from third base when Trae Santos launched a deep fly ball to center field.
Fort Wayne padded its lead to 11-5 in the fifth inning. Gettys and Santos each drove in a pair.
The marathon continued in the eighth inning, when the TinCaps added one more insurance run. It was Blanco once again. He doubled down the left-field line to plate Moreno.
Lansing added two runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it 12-7, but it wasn’t enough. Seth Lucio (W, 2-1) pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings and secured the victory after the starter Michael Kelly went the first 2 1/3.
In addition to Blanco’s blistering day at the plate, Santos finished with three hits and three RBIs.
Fort Wayne can win its first road series of the season on Monday at 12:05 p.m. from Cooley Law School Stadium. T.J. Weir (2-1, 5.54) is set to square off against Lansing’s Sean Reid-Foley (0-1, 4.24). The game can be heard on ESPN Radio 1380, TinCaps.com, and the TuneIn Radio app.