Guardians Farm Report: Lake County Falls Short As South Bend Takes Midwest League Championship

Only two of the Cleveland Guardians four minor league affiliates were in action on Wednesday with both Akron and Lynchburg's seasons ending.

Triple-A Columbus Clippers

Toledo 5 Columbus (13 Innings) Suspended Game

Columbus would resume their game from Tuesday at Toledo that was suspended by rain at 3-to-3 in the top of the 11th inning with the Clippers up to bat.

The Clippers would get a run in the 11th with runners on second and third and nobody out when Jose Fermin would hit a sacrifice fly to center field giving them a 4-to-3 lead.

Toledo would come right back and plate a run of their own in the bottom of the 11th tying the game back up at four runs apiece and send it to the twelfth inning.

Both teams would hold each other scoreless in the twelfth inning as the game would move to the thirteenth. The Mud Hens would hold the Clippers from scoring in the top of the thirteenth.

With a man on third and two outs in the bottom half of the inning Toledo catcher Ali Sanchez would drive home the winning run off Clippers reliever Ian Hamilton on a base hit to center field for the walk off win.

The loss dropped Columbus record to 80-60 on the season.

#Guardians 22yr old (C) prospect Bo Naylor coming through in the the clutch tying up the game for Columbus at 3-to-3 with two outs in the 8th inning against Toledo. @_BoNaylor_ @CLBClippers #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/PjFEPgvxfb
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 21, 2022

Top Performers:

Oscar Mercado 2-3 R 2B RBI BB
Bo Naylor 1-3 RBI BB
George Valera 1-4 R BB
Gabriel Arias 1-4 R
Kevin Kelly 2.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 1BB 2SO

Toledo 5 Columbus 3

In Wednesday's regular scheduled contest that followed the completion of the suspended game Columbus and Toledo were locked in a scoreless game after three innings of play.

The Clippers would break through in the top of the fourth for three runs with the big blast coming on a two-run home run off the bat of right fielder Nolan Jones. The home run by Jones was his seventh on the year with Columbus.

#Guardians 24yr old OF prospect Nolan Jones with a 2-run bomb in the 4th inning today for Columbus against Toledo. For Jones it was his 7th Triple-A HR with the Clippers on the year.@Nolan_Jones10 @CLBClippers #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/VR1cs3euKG
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 22, 2022

Clippers starter Hunter Gaddis was cruising along pitching a shutout through four innings when the Mud Hens would plate three runs to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI base hit and a ground rule double.

Gaddis would stay on to pitch the sixth inning and would get the first two batters out before Daz Cameron would hit a solo home run off him to give Toledo a 4-to-3 lead.

Clippers reliever Tim Herrin would come on in relief of Gaddis after the Cameron home run and would allow a solo home run of his own to Josh Lester the very first batter he would face extending the Mud Hens lead to 5-to-3.

Toledo would hold Columbus scoreless the rest of the game handing the Clippers their second straight loss and dropping their record to 80-61 on the season.

Top Performers:

Nolan Jones 1-4 R HR 2RBI
Gavin Collins 2-3 RBI
Brayan Rocchio 1-4 R
Bryan Lavistida 1-4 R
Hunter Gaddis 5.2(IP) 4H 4R 2ER 0BB 7SO
Carlos Vargas 1.2(IP) 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 0SO

High-A Lake County Captains

South Bend 7 Lake County 4 (Game 3)

Lake County dropped their second straight game at home after taking game one of the Midwest League Championship series at South Bend. With the loss the Cubs take the short three game series earning the championship trophy.

Update: They never quit. 😤🏆 #wearethechampions pic.twitter.com/0KOM30sLfk
— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) September 22, 2022

South Bend would plate five runs in the second inning knocking Lake County starter Aaron Davenport out of the game after just two and two thirds' innings. Davenport would be charged with giving up four of the five runs scored in the inning.

Captains left-handed pitcher Raymond Burgos who had been almost unhittable in the post season would allow a two-run home run to the first batter he faced in relief of Davenport that capped off Cubs big inning.

Lake County would respond with three runs of their own in the bottom of the third on an RBI base hit by Joe Naranjo, a wild pitch by South Bend pitcher Porter Hodge and finally an RBI single by Milan Tolentino making it a 5-to-3 game.

The Cubs would add to their lead in the top of the fifth inning on a two-run home run by Luis Verdugo off Burgos who was still in the game for the Captains. Burgos would exit the game allowing three runs over just one and a third innings pitched on a pair of home runs.

Trailing 7-to-3 Lake County would plate a run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by Alexfri Planez that would score Connor Kokx who led off the inning with a triple.

South Bend now leading 7-to-4 would allow a leadoff double to Yordys Valdes in the ninth inning but then record three straight groundouts by Lake County batters securing the win and the Championship.