FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Playing as the Hoosier State Tenderloins, the TinCaps beat the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate), 10-0, in front of a sellout crowd of 7,242 on Thursday night at Parkview Field. Third baseman Graham Pauley (No. 29 Padres prospect) and shortstop Kervín Pichardo both hit two-run homers, while Edwuin Bencomo, Ethan Routzahn, and Will Geerdes combined for the shutout. The victory, combined with a Dayton loss, has Fort Wayne tied for first place in the Midwest League East Division with 33 regular season games remaining.
Thursday through Sunday, the team is wearing special jerseys and hats as the Hoosier State Tenderloins, a tribute to the state’s unofficial favorite sandwich. For these games, not only is the team wearing the unique uniforms, but the center-field concourse is featuring carnival games and concession stands are offering tenderloin sandwiches. For every sandwich sold, Indiana Pork, the presenting sponsor of the weekend, is donating a meal of ground pork to the Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana.
Bencomo provided five excellent innings in a spot start, giving up only three hits while punching out four. Then, Routzahn fanned six across three relief innings and Geerdes preserved Fort Wayne’s seventh shutout win of the season, working the ninth.
Fort Wayne (19-13, 51-47) used a six-run fifth inning to catapult to a huge lead.
Pauley’s 353-foot home run came with two outs in the first inning, driving in center fielder Jakob Marsee (No. 20 Padres prospect) following a leadoff walk. Pauley finished the game 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs. He’s hit 11 homers in 30 games since debuting with the club on June 29.
In the fifth, the “Tenderloins” piled on six, and at one point in the inning, had seven consecutive hitters reach base. It was their second six-run inning of the series, with the other coming in Tuesday’s victory.
Left fielder Albert Fabian started the frame with a double and later scored on Pichardo’s 395-foot drive, which made it 4-0. Later, Pauley collected his third RBI of the game with a run-scoring single, right fielder Lucas Dunn, fresh off the injured list, smacked an RBI hit, and first baseman Carlos Luis crushed a two-run double into the right field corner.
The home team added two more in the seventh thanks to Fabian’s sacrifice fly, which scored Dunn, and catcher Colton Bender’s RBI double. Bender went 3-for-4 with a pair of two-baggers.
Thursday’s crowd marked the 11th sellout of the season at Parkview Field.
Fort Wayne now has 100 home runs on the season, which leads the 12-team league, and is on pace for a franchise record in the team’s 30th season. The squad also leads the league in OBP (.340), SLG (.399), and OPS (.739).
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 4 vs. Great Lakes (7:05 p.m.)
- Tenderloins Probable Starter: LHP Austin Krob
- Loons Probable Starter: RHP Hyun-il Choi
