Late Offensive Outbursts Lead to TinCaps Victory
Credit: EVT Sports
Fort Wayne, Indiana
After only two hits in first five innings, the TinCaps’ bats woke up late in the game, bringing in eight runs in the last three innings for a 9-3 victory over the Dayton Dragons.
The TinCaps were trailing 3-1 heading into the 6th, but with a combination of hits and Dragon errors, they sent nine batters to the plate to take the lead by the end of the inning. Right fielder Augustin Ruiz led off the inning with a double deep to left field. Ruiz moved to 3rd on a ground out, and then Justin Lopez blistered a low grounder that ricocheted of the glove of Dragons’ second baseman Jonathan Willems, allowing Ruiz to score.
After consecutive singles by Dwanya Williams-Sutton and Nick Gatewood, the bases were loaded. After a passed ball and a walk, the bases remained loaded. Batting with one out, Jawaun Harris hit a grounder to third. Opting to throw home, Dragon Juan Martinez rushed the throw, and it went wide of the catcher, allowing Williams-Sutton to score the last run of the inning and the TinCaps to take a 4-3 lead.
With two outs in the 7th, catcher Blake Hunt was on first after being hit by a pitch. Williams-Sutton and Gatewood came through again with a single and double, respectively. The Gatewood double brought in Hunt and Williams-Sutton to increase the lead to 3 runs. The TinCaps padded their cushion even more in the 8th, as the inning began with three consecutive hits from Harris, Xavier Edwards, and Tucupita Marcano. Marcano’s single scored Harris, and Ruiz followed with a sacrifice fly to bring in Edwards. Hunt singled to plate the TinCaps’ final run of the game.
In his first start of the season, TinCaps’ pitcher Ramon Perez struck out eight batters, gave up two hits, and walked 2 in 5 innings of work; both runs scored during his appearance were unearned. Despite this positive line, Perez had some inconsistent ball placement, with several pitches missing the mark by a wide margin and, more significantly, one hit batsman and two wild pitches, one of which extended the Dragons’ third inning and allowed a run to score. In his second appearance of 2019, Henry Henry was solid in 3 innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits and striking out 3.
The TinCaps are 3-2 in the young season and will face the Dragons again on Tuesday night.
Game Notes:
Announced attendance was 2,310.
The TinCaps has a total of 12 hits, and 4fourbatters—Edwards, Marcano, Williams-Sutton, and Gatewood—each had two-hit games.
Speedster Edwards picked up his second stolen base of the season.
In the 6th inning, Dragons manager Luis Bolivar had a significant dust-up with Lance Seilhamer after the home plate umpire called time and shouted something toward the Dragons’ dugout; Bolivar, however remained in the game.
Ken A. Bugajski lives and works in Fort Wayne, Indiana. An English professor by trade, he spends many summer nights with his wife and daughter at Parkview Field, home of the TinCaps.