It was the third walk-off win for the BlueClaws this season and the second courtesy of a wild pitch. The BlueClaws claimed a walk-off victory thanks to a wild pitch on June 7 against Delmarva.
The winning run marked the first time that the BlueClaws had led in the ballgame. They fell behind on three separate occasions, but each time battled back to tie the game, before finally taking the lead and the win in the ninth.
The late offense bailed out starter Jacob Diekman, who was hit around for five earned runs in five innings. The 21-year old southpaw did not factor in the decision, despite leaving the game with his team trailing 5-3.
The bullpen helped to bail Diekman out, firing four hitless innings. Moises Melendez was first in relief, pitching 2 1/3 innings while facing the minimum seven hitters. He did allow a walk, but quickly picked the runner off at first base.
Zack Sterner (4-0) followed Melendez' lead with 1 2/3 perfect baseball, retiring all five hitters that he faced.
The strong relief outing gave the BlueClaws offense enough time to rally and eventually claim the victory. Lakewood (2-0, 40-32) evened the game 5-5 with two runs in the sixth inning, though both went as unearned against reliever Jonathan Holt. Captains third baseman Karexon Sanchez committed two errors in the frame, including a wide throw that allowed the tying run to cross the plate.
The 'Claws did manage three runs against Lake County starter Ryan Morris. Morris, who entered the game 6-1 on the season, looked unusually hittable, giving up five hits. He also walked two and struck out four.
The win helped the BlueClaws reach the 40-win mark in the fewest games in team history. It also evened a previously one-sided season series with the Captains (0-2, 41-31) at seven games apiece.
Lakewood will look to wrap us a series win on Saturday night at FirstEnergy Park at 7:05. Walter Tejeda (3-2) will make his return from the disabled list for the BlueClaws, while Joey Mahalic (3-2) will make a spot start in the place of the now promoted Kelvin De La Cruz for the Captains.
Wrestling legend Mick Foley will be on hand at FirstEnergy Park to meet with fans and sign autographs, thanks to County Line Hardware. He will also be taking part in a hair donation event on the field prior to the game.