McClaughry’s career day helps TinCaps clinch series at Great Lakes

MIDLAND, Mich. – The TinCaps overcame a pair of deficits on their way to beating the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers affiliate), 7-4, on Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond. With the victory, Fort Wayne won four of six games to take the series.

The game was tied, 4-4, in the top of the ninth inning when ‘Caps second baseman Nerwilian Cedeño crushed a three-run homer over the right-field wall.

On the mound, Purdue alum Jackson Smeltz earned the win, retiring all five batters he faced for the final five outs for Fort Wayne (9-12, 37-50).

Meanwhile, shortstop Nik McClaughry propelled the TinCaps offense over the first four innings. After Great Lakes (8-12, 42-44) put up a run in the first, McClaughry hit a two-out, three-run homer in the second. It was McClaughry’s first home run of the season.

Then after the Loons equalized in their half of the second and scored twice in the third to take the lead, McClaughry came through with two outs once more with a single to plate center fielder Joshua Mears , who had tripled. For McClaughry, who was drafted by the Padres last year in the 10 ^th round out of Arizona, it marked the first four-RBI game of his Minor League Baseball career.

Smeltz capped off 6 2/3 scoreless innings from Fort Wayne’s bullpen. Manuel Castro (1 2/3 innings), Enmanuel Pinales (2 innings), and Bradgley Rodriguez (1 1/3 innings) also delivered scoreless work.

The TinCaps are now 11-2 in Sunday afternoons games this season.

Entering Sunday, Fort Wayne had only hit a total of three three-run homers this year.

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