Pete Halpin's inside-the-park home run propels Captains past Lugnuts, 4-2
Jun. 28—After three scoreless innings, Pete Halpin decided that was enough as he sent a shot that danced down the foul line on the first-base side.
The Lansing outfielder was unable to find the ball as it trickled into the Captains bullpen as the two teams started their series on June 28.
Halpin drove in two runners and as he rounded third, he had a clear shot at home plate for an inside-the-park home run. His effort along with Tanner Bibee's five scoreless innings sealed the Captain's 4-2 victory over Lansing.
Halpin got the Captains (37-33) on the scoreboard after a rough season that had seen him batting .216 with 10 RBI and one home run on the season.
"We're sending him no matter what," said DiCenzo. "If the ball was in flight in the infield when he was on the way to third base, there would've been some hesitation. But at that point there were no outs and we have confidence that Petey could beat the throw home anyway. He knows to keep digging on the base paths."
Lake County didn't have to wait long to strike again. Later in the bottom of the fourth, Gabriel Rodriguez sent his sixth home run of the season to left center that extended their lead.
Bibee put in a strong effort on the bump for the Captains, as he threw five scoreless innings, struck out seven and gave up just five hits. DiCenzo was happy to see him mix his pitches.
"He can elevate when he needs to and throws his second-level pitches for strikes as well," said DiCenzo. "He tends to do a good job of working himself out of jams while not relying solely on the defense to bail him out. He has the wherewithal to take a hit and then change his game to get the next out."
However, after their four-run fourth and the end of Bibee's five innings of work, the Captains bats went quiet and the bullpen was responsible for the end of the contest.
The Lugnuts made things interesting with a home run by Tyler Soderstorm, his 12th of the season, in the sixth inning. A sacrifice fly by Lawrence Butler in the top of the seventh was too short for Euribel Angeles to tag up but the throw by Johnathan Rodriguez was offline to the catcher and allowed him to score.
Lake County's relievers and defense held strong and kept the Lugnuts' runs to a minimum. DiCenzo has been imrpessed with the strides the defense has made through the season, which included Halpin tracking down a long fly ball in center with the go-ahead run at the plate for the Lugnuts in the eighth.
"We made some really good defensive plays tonight," said DiCenzo. "George Jones did a great job in some tough spots tonight but he's been thrown into some tough spots this season with varying success. It's good to see him have success in that moment and it's good to see the outfielders communicating with the infielders in those moments and work on things that we addressed recently."
Right-handed pitcher Aaron Davenport (2-4, 3.45) takes the mound for the Captain in the second game of the series on June 29 as he goes against Stevie Emanules (3-7, 5.06). First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
