Bryce Rainer put on the kind of show that can take over a box score in a hurry, and West Michigan rode that eruption to a 14-1 win over Fort Wayne on Wednesday.
Rainer finished 5-for-5 with six RBI, two doubles, a home run and a stolen base, and every ball he put in play was smoked. The Whitecaps kept stacking damage around him, and the game was basically over once the third inning got rolling.
That was the inning where West Michigan broke it open. Woody Hadeen drew a leadoff walk, moved up on a wild pitch, and Rainer lashed an RBI double the other way to bring him home.
After Ricardo Hurtado walked and Jackson Strong flew out, Rainer and Hurtado caught the TinCaps sleeping and pulled off a double steal. Clayton Campbell then walked to load the bases, Andrew Sojka lifted a sacrifice fly, and Stephen Hrustich capped the frame with a three-run homer to left for a 5-0 lead.
Rainer kept piling on from there. He launched a 428-foot solo shot to dead center in the fourth, then added a two-out double to center in the fifth as West Michigan pushed the margin to 11-1. He wasn’t done either, lining a two-run single in the seventh before Strong singled him in again to make it 14-1.
Hrustich also had a big night, going 1-for-4 with two runs, three RBI, a homer and a walk. Hadeen scored three times and walked twice.
On the mound, left-hander Ben Jacobs bounced back nicely. He gave up a solo homer but allowed only two other hits and a walk while striking out eight over five innings.
Lakeland also leaned on power Wednesday, beating Dunedin 8-2 behind four home runs.
Jude Warwick got the Tigers going in the second with a two-run shot after Nick Dumesnil had walked. Beau Ankeney added a solo homer in the third, his 13th of the year, and Dumesnil joined in with a solo blast of his own to open the fourth.
The Flying Tigers kept adding on in the sixth. Dumesnil walked to start the inning, Jesus Pinto singled, and Zach MacDonald lined an RBI single. Jordan Yost then walked to load the bases, and Ankeney delivered again with a sharp single to left to make it 6-1.
MacDonald later drove in another run with his 14th homer in the eighth, after Pinto singled to get things started.
Pinto went 3-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base.
In Erie, Harrisburg beat the SeaWolves 5-2 after the offense went quiet following an early burst.
Erie jumped ahead in the second when Max Burt doubled with one out, Patrick Lee singled him in, and Joe Campagna followed with a double that brought Lee all the way around for a 2-0 lead. But that was the end of the damage.
Kenny Serwa allowed a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings before exiting, and the bullpen gave up two more. Trevin Michael worked two innings and allowed a run, and Tyler Owens also gave up a run.
The SeaWolves managed just five hits and four walks the rest of the way.
Lee finished 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout. Campagna was 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk. Seth Graham went 0-for-3 but drew a walk and stole his 47th base.
Toledo beat Indianapolis 2-0 behind a strong pitching effort and just enough offense to even the series.
Max Clark opened the game with a walk and was picked off. The Hens had two baserunners in each of the first two innings but couldn’t cash in until the third, when Clark and Max Anderson singled with one out.
Eduardo Valencia then singled in Clark for the first run. In the fourth, Trei Cruz tripled and scored on a Tyler Gentry sacrifice fly.
That was enough for Carl Edwards Jr., who turned in 5.2 scoreless innings and allowed three hits while striking out six. Scott Effross handled the sixth, Ricky Vanasco took the seventh, and Tyler Mattison fired 1.2 hitless innings despite issuing two walks. Tanner Rainey came on after the final walk and closed it out with the one-out save.
Clark went 1-for-3 with a run and a walk. Edwards Jr. got the win and moved to 4-6.
Coming up next, first pitch is at 6:35 p.m. ET on Thursday.
In Other News...
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Jack Flaherty helped set the stage by giving Detroit six innings and allowing two runs, giving the club another steady start to lean on as the lineup came alive behind him. The bigger question now is whether this was just one of those nights where everything clicked, or another sign that the Tigers are starting to look a lot more dangerous when a game gets into the middle innings. [Read more 🡒]