Marcano and Henry Excel in 7-4 TinCaps Win
EVT Sports
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Tucupita Marcano had a banner night at the plate, and Henry Henry retired all seven batters he faced in relief to lead the TinCaps to a 7-4 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps.
On a night where the TinCaps combined for fourteen hits, Marcano had two doubles and two singles to go 4-for-4 with a sacrifice fly, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Marcano led off the first with a double to the right-field wall, and Juwaun Harris followed with a walk. Dwayna Williams-Sutton hit into a fielder’s choice that forced out Marcano, but Harris and William-Sutton executed a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. Agustin Ruiz then grounded to first, but William-Sutton beat the throw home to even the game at 1-1.
The TinCaps added another run in the fourth but broke the game open in the fifth, scoring three runs in a rally that began with the first five batters reaching base. Williams-Sutton led off with a double, and Ruiz moved him to third on a single. Michael Curry then appeared to hit into a double play with a grounder to shortstop, but the throw to second went into right field, allowing Williams-Sutton to score. Ethan Skender singled to score Ruiz, and with runners at the corners, Justin Lopez dropped a single just inside the right-field foul line to increase the TinCaps’ lead to 5-1.
The Caps added two insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings, and Marcano figured in both. In the sixth, he hit his second lead-off double and moved to third on a passed ball. Harris followed with a sacrifice fly. In the eighth, Marcano singled to start the inning, and he scored two batters later on a Williams-Sutton base hit.
On the mound, Henry was lights out in relief, retired all seven batters he faced, the most important of which was arguably the first, as he forced Ulrich Bojarski into a flyout to end the seventh with two Whitecaps on base.
In his second start for the TinCaps, Cullen Dana gave up three runs on six hits and four walks. After giving up a run in the first, Dana settled in and kept the Whitecaps off the board until he gave up two more in the sixth before being replaced by Austin Smith. Dana’s fastball was in the upper 80s all night, and he retired seven of eight Whitecaps over the third, fourth, and fifth innings.
The series continues on Sunday afternoon.
Game Notes
Announced attendance was 7,557.
In addition to Marcano and Williams-Sutton, Lopez also had a multiple-hit night with three singles.
The TinCaps defense turned a double play in each of the first three innings.
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.