Legends Ride Sixth-Inning Lightning to Victory
The Legends used a six-run sixth to come from behind and secure an 8-5 victory over the Lake County Captains on Sunday evening at Applebee's Park. Jordan Parraz went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in the winning effort, while Eric Taylor added his seventh home run of the season. Koby Clemens and Ralphie Henriquez also provided two hits apiece.
Taylor's blast sailed just right of the bleachers and gave the Legends a 1-0 advantage after one inning. The Captains would answer with a pair in the third--but not before one of the strangest plays of the season. Designated hitter Brian Juhl was hit by a Casey Hudspeth fastball leading off the inning, and stole second when Niuman Romero swung and missed at one of Hudspeth's pitches. Apparently believing the ball had been tipped foul, Juhl began trotting back to first. By the time Juhl had realized his error, Hudspeth received the ball from Henriquez, wheeled and threw to Torres, who chased down the runner on his way back to first. The next three hitters reached base, with two runs scoring on Jason Denham's ground ball single up the middle.
Lake County tacked on another run in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Meanwhile, starter Josh Tomlin was invincible after Taylor's home run. He retired 14 consecutive Legends, and appeared to be in complete control. In the home sixth, however, everything unraveled for the Captains' starter. Lexington sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning, with two-run singles from Parraz and Henriquez providing most of the offense. When it was all said and done, Tomlin (7-3), nearly perfect before the sixth, was in line to receive the loss.
Lexington's bullpen made sure that result held up. Chad Wagler (8-3) entered in the sixth and allowed one run over two and one-third innings to snare the win. Kyle DeYoung entered the game with a runner on and two out in the eighth, and retired the game's final four batters to nail down his fifth save.
The loss was a double whammy for Nick Weglarz, who was the owner of a streak of 37 consecutive games in which he had reached base. Weglarz went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
David Qualben (7-6, 4.16) will face Jeanmar Gomez (8-6, 5.03) in tomorrow's matchup, set for 7:05 p.m.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
