TinCaps Baseball: Caps Perform In Front Of Sellout [VIDEO]
FORT WAYNE – The TinCaps remained perfect in four games against the Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays) this season, and Fort Wayne won its third straight game with a 5-4 victory on Friday night at Parkview Field. The TinCaps led the entire game in front of a sellout crowd of 7,400. It’s the seventh sellout at Parkview Field this season and second consecutive game with the seats filled.
Fort Wayne (22-39) struck first in the bottom of the third inning against Lansing starting pitcher Denis Diaz (L). First baseman Brad Zunica led off with a double. Zunica moved to third base on a groundout by third baseman Hudson Potts. With the infield in, shortstop Reinaldo Ilarraza singled to right field, scoring Zunica for a 1-0 TinCaps lead. Catcher Marcus Greene Jr. followed with a towering home run over the left-field wall that put Fort Wayne up 3-0. It was Greene Jr.’s the second homer of the season.
Lansing (33-25) responded in the top of the fourth. The Lugnuts loaded the bases with two walks and a single. With two outs, Christian Williams singled to right field, allowing Nick Sinay and Rodrigo Orozco to score and cut the Fort Wayne advantage to 3-2.
The TinCaps extended their lead in the fifth. With one out, center fielder Jack Suwinski singled and right fielder Jorge Oña walked to put runners on first and second base. Zunica then picked up his second hit of the game on a single that scored Suwinski for a 4-2 edge.
The Lugnuts cut back into the deficit in the top of the sixth. Edward Olivares led off the inning by taking the second pitch of the frame over the wall in left-center field for a solo home run, trimming the TinCaps lead to 4-3.
Fort Wayne added another run in the bottom of the sixth. Greene Jr. led off with a double. Second baseman Nate Easley followed with a fly out to right field, but Greene Jr. tagged up on the play and moved to third base. Left fielder Rod Boykin knocked in Greene Jr. with a single to push the advantage to 5-3.
Lansing did drive across a run in the eighth. With one out, J.B. Woodman walked. A Matt Morgan single put runners on first and third with one out. Yeltsin Gudiño then grounded into a force out where Morgan was out at second base, but Gudiño was safe at first, and Woodman scored to make it 5-4 with Fort Wayne still in front.
TinCaps starting pitcher Ronald Bolaños (W) struck out a career-high nine batters in five innings pitched while walking just three. The right-hander allowed only three hits and two runs.
Fort Wayne reliever David Bednar (S) allowed a baserunner in the ninth but retired the other three batters to close the door on Lansing and pick up his seventh save this season.