EASTLAKE, Ohio – In Game 5 of a six-game series, the Lake County Captains (69-58, 32-31) fell to the Great Lakes Loons (74-54, 38-26) by a final score of 5-0 on Saturday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.
The Loons held the Captains off the scoreboard for the second time this week, limiting Lake County to just five hits to clinch the 2026 Midwest League East Second Half Division crown.
After stranding four runners on base over the first two innings, Great Lakes struck first in the third frame. The visitors tacked on three runs on three bases-loaded walks issued by Captains LHP Nelson Keljo (two) and LHP Melkis Hernández (one).
Lake County was held to just one extra-base hit in the contest, a double from 2B Garrett Howe to begin the bottom of the sixth inning. CF Tommy Hawke immediately followed with a walk to put the tying run at the plate with nobody out. But SS Dauri Fernández, MLB Pipeline’s No. 22 Guardians prospect, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, and 1B Anthony Martinez struck out to end the scoring threat.
It took until the ninth inning before the Loons struck again, as Great Lakes pushed across two more runs courtesy of a sacrifice fly by C Victor Rodrigues and an RBI single by DH Gio Cueto.
RHP Cam Leiter (W, 1-0), MLB Pipeline’s No. 16 Dodgers prospect, earned the win for Great Lakes, striking out three and allowing just three hits in five scoreless innings of work.
Keljo (L, 0-2) suffered the loss for Lake County, surrendering three runs on three hits in 2.2 innings of work, issuing a pro career-high six walks while punching out five.
RHP Dilan Figueredo (S, 6) earned the save for the Loons, striking out one in two perfect innings of relief.
The finale of this week’s six-game series between the Captains and Loons and final game of Lake County’s 2026 season is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m. The Captains will celebrate Fan Appreciation Day at the ballpark. It will also be Family Fun Sunday presented by Classic Auto Group, which will feature pregame catch on the field and player autographs on the concourse, plus postgame kids run the bases presented by Akron Children’s Hospital.
The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, MLB+, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram. For tickets, fans can visit MiLB.com/lake-county/tickets.
NOTES TO KNOW
- INF Garrett Howe went 2-for-3 with a double on Saturday night. The 2024 11th-round pick out of Samford logged his first multi-hit game since Aug. 20 at Wisconsin.
- C Cannon Peebles extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a hit-by-pitch on Saturday night. The 2025 17th-round pick out of Tennessee leads High-A with a .494 on-base percentage during this span.
- 1B Anthony Martinez extended his on-base streak to 13 games with a single on Saturday night. The 2025 eighth-round pick out of UC Irvine ranks fourth in the Midwest League with a .360 batting average (18-for-50) during this span.
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.