While Bert Kreischer’s Fully Loaded Comedy Festival was entertaining guests back at Parkview Field, the TinCaps unloaded a pair of home runs en route to a 6-4 win against the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field.
Game recap from the Fort Wayne TinCaps:
TinCaps Begin Second Half with Road Win
South Bend, Indiana (June 23, 2023) – While Bert Kreischer’s Fully Loaded Comedy Festival was entertaining guests back at Parkview Field, the TinCaps unloaded a pair of home runs en route to a 6-4 win against the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field. Third baseman Marcos Castañon and right fielder Joshua Mears both went deep as the ‘Caps opened the second half of their season with a victory.
Fort Wayne (1-0, 33-34) raced out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Shortstop Jackson Merrill (No. 1 Padres prospect) led off with a single, center fielder Jakob Marsee (No. 22 Padres prospect) doubled, and then Castañon singled Merrill home. Left fielder Nathan Martorella (No. 23 Padres prospect) delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Marsee.
South Bend (0-1, 30-36) got a run back in the second. But in the third, Marsee walked and Castañon crushed his eighth homer of the year to the seats in left field to make it 4-1.
In the fifth, Marsee singled, stole second base, stole third, and scored on another Martorella sac fly, stretching the advantage to 5-1.
Though the Cubs chipped into their deficit with a run in their half of the fifth and another in the seventh, Mears led off the eighth with a 430-foot shot that cleared the concourse in left field. Eduarniel Nuñez’s fastball was thrown at 98 miles per hour and left Mears’ bat with an exit velocity of 113 miles per hour to extend the TinCaps lead to 6-3. It was his sixth of the campaign.
South Bend responded with another run in the bottom of the eighth, but ultimately Nick Thwaits closed it with a six-out save.
Left-hander Bodi Rascon started for the ‘Caps and allowed just one earned run in five innings with five punch outs. Raul Brito bridged the gap to Thwaits.
The TinCaps tallied 12 hits as a team with eight of their nine starters recording at least one knock.
Marsee finished 2-for-3 with two walks, raising his on-base percentage to .394 for the season — fourth highest in the Midwest League. His 22 stolen bases are fifth in the circuit. He leads the league in runs (53) and ranks second in walks (50).
Martorella now leads the league in RBIs (48).
Castañon is seventh in the league in RBIs (40). In the MWL, he also has the fourth most hits (65), while ranking 10th in batting average (.273), one spot behind Merrill (.274).
Second baseman Lucas Dunn and designated hitter Carlos Luis joined Marsee and Castañon in the two-hit club.
Defensively, catcher Colton Bender threw out a runner trying to steal a base against him for a fifth consecutive start.
The TinCaps have won four of their last five games and are 23-12 since May 14.
Next Game: Saturday, June 24 @ South Bend Cubs (7:05 p.m.)
- TinCaps Probable Starter: RHP Victor Lizarraga
- Cubs Probable Starter: RHP Connor Noland
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