TinCaps Baseball: Caps Demolish Whitecaps
FORT WAYNE – The TinCaps scored a season-high 16 runs and notched a season-high 18 hits against the West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers) on Friday night in a 16-3 victory at Parkview Field.
The TinCaps tied a season high with four home runs and had a season-high 10 extra-base hits. The 16 runs are the most scored against the Whitecaps this season.
West Michigan (28-11, 73-33) scored first in the game in the top of the second inning. A Dylan Burdeaux double scored one run, while a Chad Sedio sacrifice fly scored a second run for a 2-0 lead.
But after that, it was all Fort Wayne (26-15, 52-59). The TinCaps, who were wearing throwback Fort Wayne Wizards jerseys, tied the game in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded, second baseman Reinaldo Ilarraza doubled to straightaway center field, scoring two runners to knot the game, 2-2.
The TinCaps took the lead in the third inning. With runners on second and third base and no outs, first baseman Brad Zunica hit a sac fly to right field to score designated hitter Nate Easley from third to give Fort Wayne a 3-2 advantage. Two batters later, catcher Marcus Greene Jr. hit a two-run home run to left field, extending the TinCaps’ lead to 5-2.
Fort Wayne added to its lead in the fourth. With two outs, shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 18th home run of the season to put the TinCaps up 6-2.
The runs kept on coming in the fifth. Both center fielder Buddy Reed and Ilarraza knocked in a run each with singles to push the Fort Wayne edge to 8-2.
Fort Wayne chased West Michigan starting pitcher Anthony Castro (L) after 4 1/3 innings. Castro had allowed just 22 earned runs and two home runs this season in 84 innings pitched. Tonight, Castro allowed six earned runs, and the TinCaps hit two home runs off Castro.
The Whitecaps stopped the TinCaps’ scoring run with a tally in the top of the sixth. With runners on first and second and two outs, Sedio singled to score Isaac Paredes, trimming the Fort Wayne lead to 8-3.
Fort Wayne responded with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Zunica hammered a two-run homer 419 feet from home plate to make it 10-3. Later in the inning, a Reed single and throwing error by West Michigan catcher Austin Athmann brought home another Fort Wayne run for an 11-3 lead.
The onslaught continued in the seventh. Right fielder Jack Suwinski hit the TinCaps’ fourth home run of the game to make it 12-3. Later in the inning, Zunica picked up his fourth RBI of the game with a double to push the Fort Wayne lead to 13-3. Third baseman Hudson Potts racked up his fourth hit of the game with a two-run double that lengthened the lead to 15-3. The scoring ended with an Ilarraza double that knocked in Fort Wayne’s 16th run of the game.
TinCaps starting pitcher Lake Bachar (W) pitched five innings while allowed two runs and five hits in his first Midwest League start. Fort Wayne relievers Jose Galindo, Jordan Guerrero, and G.K. Young combined to allow just two hits and one run in four innings of relief work on the mound.