The Fort Wayne TinCaps ended a seven-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Lake County Captains at Parkview Field on Thursday night.
TinCaps Snap Skid in Back-and-Forth Affair
Fort Wayne, Indiana (July 8, 2021) – The Fort Wayne TinCaps ended a seven-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Lake County Captains (Cleveland affiliate) at Parkview Field on Thursday night.
Early on, Lake County (31-26) took a quick lead against Fort Wayne starter Ethan Elliott. In the top of the first, Captains catcher Bryan Lavastida plated third baseman Brayan Rocchio with a two-out RBI double.
But the TinCaps (24-32) answered with a tying run in the bottom of the opening frame, when right fielder Tirso Ornelas belted his first home run of the season. Ornelas, who leads the league with 19 doubles, sent a 398-foot shot to right field.
In the third, Fort Wayne took the lead when center fielder Reinaldo Ilarraza led off the inning with a double and later scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by second baseman Chris Givin.
After Lake County equalized in the fourth on a sacrifice fly, the TinCaps came out swinging again in the sixth inning. Back-to-back hits from third baseman Kelvin Alarcon and left fielder Grant Little and a hit-by-pitch of catcher Adam Kerner loaded the bases. Ilarraza then drove in Little with a sac fly, after Alarcon had scored on a wild pitch.
However, in the top of the seventh, the Captains re-tied the game. But the scoring difference for Fort Wayne came just after the stretch. After Givin led off the inning with a walk, he eventually scored via a throwing error on what could’ve been an inning-ending double play. That gave the TinCaps a 5-4 lead that stood thanks to a scoreless eighth from Austin Smith.
Elliott, in his 12th start of the year, held form as one of the top pitchers in the league. Across six innings, the left-hander allowed just two earned runs and walked only one.
Offensively, Little doubled twice on his 24th birthday. Ornelas posted a three-for-three night with a walk.
Next Game: Friday, July 9 vs. Lake County (7:05 p.m.)
Fort Wayne Probable Starter: RHP Matt Waldron
Lake County Probable Starter: RHP Tanner Burns
Watch: Comcast Network 81 | MiLB.TV
Listen: 1380 The Fan & 100.9 FM | TinCapsRadio.com
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