Krauth’s spot start keys Captains’ win

Home runs by Tapia, Longo part of balanced attack

It was an everybody-didtheir-job effort by the Captains on July 23 in a 7-2 victory over the Clinton (Iowa) LumberKings at Classic Park.

The getting-it-done tone was set by Ben Krauth, a top-flight relief pitcher who made a spot start in place of the injured Luis Jimenez.

Making only his second start in 23 appearances, the 23-year-old left-hander from California limited the visitors from the Hawkeye State to one hit, a single, in four innings.

Krauth faced 15 batters, striking out two and walking three. He threw 56 pitches, 31 for strikes.

“I sent Ben a text last night letting him now he’d get the start, and he was pumped,” Captains manager Larry Day said.

Although he went four innings and this didn’t figure in the decision, Krauth’s record stayed 4-2. He lowered his ERA to 1.75, lowest on the staff.

“Ben threw strikes, kept the ball down and gave us a chance to win,” Day said.

The 6-foot-180-pound Krauth was selected in the 16th round of the 2016 draft out of the University of Kansas, where he was 1210 with a 3.45 ERA over two seasons working exclusively as a starter. His pitch mix includes a fastball that sits in the high 80s, curve, slider and change-up.

In 61 2/3 innings this season, Krauth has given up 14 runs with 72 strikeouts and 30 walks.

“Ben has had a lot of roles for us this season — long guy, short guy, starter,” Day said. “He’s been consistent and productive in all of them.”

The Captains batters took care of their business, too, on a muggy and cloudy Sunday afternoon.

They got to Clinton starter and eventual loser Ryne Inman (0-1, 16.88 ERA) for six runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

In the bottom of the first inning, they scratched out the game’s first run when Connor Capel stroked a leadoff single and later scored on an RBI sacrifice fly by catcher Li-Jen Chu. The Captains went up 2-0 when Miguel Eladio, who’d singled earlier in the frame, raced home on a wild pitch by Inman.

The Captains drove Inman from the mound in the bottom of the fourth inning with a four-run outburst triggered by designated hitter Emmanuel Tapia’s leadoff home run. It was the Midwest Leagueleading 21st home run for Tapia, who leads the Captains with 54 RBI.

Alexis Pantoja doubled home a run to make it 4-0. An RBI sacrifice fly by Elvis Perez and bases-loaded walk by Chu extended the lead to 6-0.

Relief pitch Cesar Ventrura took over from Krauth in the top of the fifth inning. He surrendered two runs on six hits in two eventful innings.

Captains right fielder Mitch Longo accounted for what proved to be the Captains’ final tally in the bottom of the sixth inning when he slugged a two-out, solo home run off Clinton reliever Jefferson Medina.

The former Mayfield High School and Ohio University standout is batting .341 with four home runs and 14 RBI in 26 games with Lake County.

The third Captains pitcher, Henry Martinez (52, 3.12 ERA) blanked the LumberKings over two inning to earn the victory.

Lake County improved to 14-15 in the second half with the wire-to-wire win. Clinton slipped to 12-18.