A three-run seventh inning, bolstered by a two-run triple off the bat of newcomer Travis Jankowski, led the Fort Wayne TinCaps to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Great Lakes Loons on Saturday night. With the victory, the TinCaps earned a third consecutive series win.
Fort Wayne (6-3 second half, 37-42) fell behind in the bottom of the second inning when Great Lakes (4-5, 38-41) catcher Pratt Maynard hit his first home run of the year. The solo shot gave the Loons a 1-0 advantage. That lead did not hold for long, though, as the TinCaps plated a run in the top of the third when Travis Whitmore grounded into a double play, scoring Jankowski.
Great Lakes immediately retaliated with another run in the bottom of the third against TinCaps starter Colin Rea (2-4). Third baseman Jeff Hunt hit a ball back to the mound, which was fielded by Rea. The pitcher’s throw to first went wide of the bag, and Hunt was credited with a base hit while Rea was charged with an error, allowing Hunt to end up at third. He later scored on a sacrifice fly, giving the Loons a 2-1 lead.
That advantage stretched to 3-1 on a sixth-inning home run by James Baldwin. Rea departed after the sixth as the pitcher of record on the losing end. He surrendered six hits, three runs, two earned runs, walked one and struck out five.
The tide turned for Rea in the top of the seventh when the Fort Wayne offense sprung to life. After Matt Colantonio and Kyle Gaedele both singled off of Loons starter Arismendy Ozoria, he was pulled in favor of lefty Mike Thomas (2-2). The southpaw surrendered a two-run triple to Jankowski, which tied the game at three. Travis Whitmore followed two batters later with a single, scoring Jankowski and giving the TinCaps a 4-3 lead.
In the ninth, Daniel Cropper came to finish the game, but allowed the first two runners he faced to reach base. The righthander then struck out two consecutive batters before inducing a pop-out to finish the contest, as he earned his seventh save of the year.
