EASTLAKE, Ohio – In Game 1 of a six-game series, the Lake County Captains (53-40, 16-13) defeated the South Bend Cubs (56-37, 17-14) by a final score of 7-5 on Tuesday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.
After being held without a home run over their previous three games, Lake County crushed three long balls in the contest, including the first High-A home run for LF Juneiker Caceres, MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 Guardians and No. 96 MLB prospect.
It did not take long for the Captains to strike, as a three-run shot from SS Welbyn Francisca, MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 Guardians prospect, put Lake County out in front 3-0 in the first inning.
After a scoreless second, the Captains made it a four-run game in the third inning courtesy of a solo home run from Caceres, his 11th homer of the season across Lake County and Single-A Hill City.
South Bend got on the board in the fourth inning, as LF Kade Snell, MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 Cubs prospect, launched a two-run home run to cut the Cubs’ deficit in half.
However, the Captains quickly answered in the bottom of the frame, as RF Esteban González clubbed a two-run homer to restore Lake County’s four-run advantage.
South Bend again cut into the Captains’ lead with two runs in the fifth, courtesy of an RBI double from 2B Michael Hallquist and a sacrifice fly by RF Josiah Hartshorn, MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Cubs and No. 61 MLB prospect.
Lake County tallied its final run of the night in the home half of the sixth with a sacrifice fly from 3B Juan Benjamin, which made it a 7-4 ballgame.
The Cubs plated the game’s final run of the game in the eighth when C Logan Poteet, MLB Pipeline’s No. 30 Cubs prospect, blasted a solo home run, his second homer of the season.
RHP Jacob Zibin (W, 2-2) earned the win for the Captains. The right-hander allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits, striking out six and walking two in five innings of work.
RHP Mason McGwire (L, 1-2), MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 Cubs prospect, suffered the loss for South Bend. He surrendered six runs on five hits, walking four and throwing one strikeout in 3.1 innings pitched.
RHP Logan McGuire (S, 3) earned the save for Lake County, pitching a scoreless ninth inning out of the bullpen with a strikeout to end the contest.
Game 2 of this week’s six-game series between the Captains and Cubs is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, July 29, at 12:05 p.m. Lake County will host Senior Day and Ditch Work Day at the ballpark. The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.
NOTES TO KNOW
- OF Juneiker Caceres extended his on-base streak to 26 games across Lake County and Single-A Hill City with a solo home run on Tuesday night. The 18-year-old is batting .306 with 30 hits, six doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, and a .953 OPS during this span.
- 1B Anthony Martinez extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single on Tuesday night. The 2025 eighth-round pick out of UC Irvine is batting .423 with 11 hits, two doubles, one home run, seven RBI, and a 1.131 OPS during this span.
- RHP Jacob Zibin threw six strikeouts on Tuesday night. The 2022 10th-round pick out of TNXL Academy (FL) has thrown 35 strikeouts in 27.2 innings pitched across his first six starts for the Captains.
About the Lake County Captains:
The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.