Midwest Baseball

TinCaps stifled by Smith, lose 2-1
West Michigan rallies in 7th for win
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – West Michigan Whitecaps RHP Brennan Smith shut down the TinCaps
on Sunday as Fort Wayne lost, 2-1, at Fifth Third Ballpark, snapping its four-game win streak. Jose
Dore drilled a solo homer.
The game was delayed by 37 minutes thanks to a broken irrigation pipe behind the pitcher’s
mound.
Fort Wayne threatened in the top of the first when Rico Noel drew a leadoff walk and Rymer
Liriano singled to left. But Noel was picked off and Liriano was caught stealing to short-circuit the
rally and the TinCaps came up empty.
In the bottom of the first, RHP Adys Portillo had runners at the corners with one out but worked
out of the jam by striking out Billy Nowlin and erasing P.J. Polk on a failed double steal.
Dore put the TinCaps ahead with his solo blast in the top of the second inning, but it was the only
run Fort Wayne scored. Smith entered in the third inning to replace an injured Whitecaps RHP Jeff
Ferrell and delivered 5.2 scoreless innings. He allowed a double and a walk and struck out four to
pick up the win.
West Michigan rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Hernan Perez hit a leadoff double and scored
on a pair of wild pitches. Nowlin then doubled, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a goahead
single by Nick Castellanos.
Smith (1-1) picked up the win. Fort Wayne LHP Mark Hardy (1-4) took the loss. West Michigan
RHP Bruce Rondon snagged his sixth save with a perfect ninth inning.
The TinCaps fell to 18-25 while West Michigan improved to 17-24.