Errors helped decide more than one game on Friday night, and Lake County was the club that paid the biggest price.
The Captains dropped an 8-3 decision to Fort Wayne in High-A play after three errors opened the door for extra runs. Ryan Degges gave Lake County four innings of work, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out three.
Jervis Alfaro took the loss and fell to 1-3, giving up four runs, only one earned, across 2.2 innings on six hits and a walk. The defensive miscues were costly: a throwing error by left fielder Esteban González in the fifth let two runs score to tie the game, and third baseman Jeffrey Mercedes made a fielding error in the sixth that helped set up another run.
Lake County finished with three errors, and two of them led directly to unearned runs. Josh Harlow entered with two outs in the seventh, got the out, then was tagged for three runs in the ninth on two hits and two walks.
The Captains did get on the board first. Welbyn Francisca singled with one out in the opening inning, stole second with two outs, and later scored when Jeffrey Mercedes doubled to left.
Lake County added its second run in the third after Jace LaViolette singled to right and Juneiker Caceres worked a walk. With two outs, Tyler Howard delivered a single to left that brought home both LaViolette and Caceres.
In Triple-A, Columbus kept its game from going to extras and beat St. Paul, 6-5.
Logan Allen started for the Clippers and went 4.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine. Hunter Stanley picked up the win to move to 1-1, finishing the fifth and working through the sixth with two walks and one strikeout.
Codi Heuer and Daniel Espino each threw a scoreless inning. Alaska Abney had the roughest stretch of the night, giving up three earned runs on four hits without recording an out.
Steven Pérez handled the ninth, letting one inherited runner score on a RBI groundout before striking out the final two batters.
Columbus built its offense in layers. Kody Huff and Milan Tolentino opened the third with back-to-back walks, and after Cooper Ingle grounded into a double play, Huff moved to third.
Angel Genao then doubled to center to tie the game at one, and Kahlil Watson followed with a single to right that put Columbus ahead. The Clippers went back in front in the fifth when Tolentino doubled with one out and Genao singled to center.
In the seventh, Alfonsin Rosario and Huff hit consecutive doubles for an insurance run. Juan Brito added a two-out triple in the eighth and scored on a wild pitch, and in the ninth Huff led off with a triple before Cooper Ingle singled him home for the sixth run.
Akron also went to extras, and this one ended in a 4-2 loss to Altoona. Rafe Schlesinger turned in a quality start, working six innings and allowing just a solo home run on four hits and two walks while striking out three.
Adam Tulloch kept things scoreless through the seventh and into the eighth. Jack Jasiak then gave up a solo homer, which counted as his second blown save of the season.
Zane Morehouse took the loss after allowing two runs, one earned, in the tenth, with the ghost runner accounting for the unearned run.
Both RubberDucks runs came in the fifth. Christian Knapczyk led off with a home run to tie the game, and later Jaison Chourio and Nolan Schubart drew back-to-back walks. Bennett Thompson grounded into a force out, moving Chourio to third and leaving Schubart out at second, and Dean Curley singled sharply to left to score Chourio and give Akron the lead.
In Single-A, Delmarva beat Hill City 9-4, with the Howlers’ late push falling well short. Ryan Prager took the loss and dropped to 2-2 after allowing four runs on four hits and three walks in 4.1 innings, striking out three.
Zane Petty was hit for five runs over two innings, giving up two hits and three walks while striking out two. Chase Mobley finished the seventh and worked the eighth without allowing a run, and Angel Perez closed it out with a hit and a walk but no further damage.
Delmarva struck first in the opening inning when Dauri Fernandez walked, Jose Pirela singled, and Fernandez eventually scored on a throwing error after Riley Nelson reached. By the seventh, the Shorebirds had stretched the lead to eight runs.
Hill City tried to scrape together something in the ninth. Cannon Peebles and Riley Nelson walked to start the inning, both runners moved up on a balk with one out, and Yeiferth Castillo reached on a fielding error to load the bases.
Reiner Herrera was hit by a pitch to force in a run, and a wild pitch brought in another. But Jhorvic Abreus grounded out for the second out, and Yerline Luis struck out to end it.
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