Game recap from the TinCaps:
TinCaps walk off into first place
(July 31, 2015) – The TinCaps beat the West Michigan Whitecaps, 2-1, in walk-off fashion on Friday night at a sold-out Parkview Field to jump into first place in the Midwest League Eastern Division. Fort Wayne overcame a 1-0 deficit in the ninth for its sixth walk-off win of the year.
With the game tied, 1-1, manager Francisco Morales instructed right fielder Edwin Moreno to bunt on a 1-0 pitch with the bases loaded and one out. Whitecaps rookie reliever Dominic Moreno (L, 0-1) fell down attempting to field the bunt that came back to the mound, allowing left fielder Franchy Cordero to score the winning run from third. Half of Fort Wayne’s walkoffs this season have been driven in by bunts.
Franmil Reyes led the inning off with a slowly hit grounder to third that he beat out for a hit. Cordero then grounded to West Michigan second baseman Garrett Mattlage, who bobbled the ball, allowing Cordero to reach. Third baseman Luis Tejada proceeded to single up the middle to score a pinch-running Rey Bruguera. After first baseman Trae Santos laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Cordero to third and Tejada to second, catcher Jose Ruiz was intentionally walked to set the stage for the squeeze.
While it took the TinCaps’ offense nine innings to score, starting pitcher Thomas Dorminy and reliever Kyle McGrath (W, 3-0) made the comeback possible. Dorminy allowed just three hits and a walk over a career-high-tying seven innings. Unfortunately for the lefty, two of those hits — a Joey Pankake double and Zach Shepherd triple — came back-to-back with two outs in the fifth to give the visitors a lead.
McGrath, who turned 23 on Friday, kept it a one run game as he equaled Dorminy’s strikeout total of four in two innings. The crowd of 8,194 — Parkview Field’s 15th sell-out of the season — came to life in the top of the eighth as McGrath got Michael Gerber to look at a called third strike with the bases loaded to end the frame.
Fort Wayne (20-15, 52-51) now has won four consecutive games, and leads West Michigan (19-15, 52-51) by a half-game for the division lead.The TinCaps look to match their longest winning streak of the season on Saturday night at 7:05 in the middle game of this three-game set. Dinelson Lamet (3-5, 3.51) is set to start on the mound for the home team against Jeff Thompson (4-9, 4.50). The game can be heard on ESPN Radio 1380, Box Score, and the TuneIn Radio app, and seen on Comcast Network 81.
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