TinCaps End Losing Streak and Sweep Doubleheader

FORT WAYNE — After five straight losses, TinCaps’ manager Lukas Ray did what any reasonable person would do to end the losing streak.

He broke out the Fu Manchu.

And it worked, as the TinCaps swept the doubleheader against Cedar Rapids with a 6-2 victory in the opener and a 9-3 win in the nightcap.

“I was looking in the mirror and had to shave today – and my wife isn’t coming back to visit for another month – and I said I’m going Fu Manchu to change something up. After today, it isn’t coming off for at least another month.”

Perhaps to honor their manager’s facial hair choices, Fort Wayne endured one of their uglier innings of the season in the first. Four four singles and two errors in the first five batters put the Kernels up 2-0 before Mexicali’s Jose Reyes bounced back and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

“He didn’t have his best stuff as he has had in other outings, but he took his competitiveness to another level,” said Ray. “He continued to go after hitters and make adjustments. We also started to catch the ball and hit, which also helped.”

Jacob Campbell hit a massive home run to right-center in the second inning to cut the deficit to one run. Ethan Long then led off the third inning with a single and was brought home by Brendan Durfee’s RBI, but the big play of the game was Brandon Butterworth’s two-run triple, which got caught in the wind and ended up behind the right fielder. Butterworth later scored on a wild pitch to put the TinCaps up 5-2.

On the mound, Reyes held the opposition scoreless and only gave up a hit for the next three innings. He was replaced by right-hander Josh Mallitz, who, after allowing the first two batters to reach base in the fifth, came back to strike out the next three.

“It was an impressive outing by Josh, and you always look for that with the first guy out of the pen, which is a pivotal role from the starter to the bullpen,” said Ray.

“When he was able to slam the door on them, it was nearly as valuable as the last three outs by the closer.”

Campbell then doubled home Durfee to add on in the fifth before Tyson Neighbors came into the game in a non-save situation and struck out three of the four batters in the inning. On the season, he’s faced 68 batters and struck out 31 while putting together a 1.06 ERA.

“Tyson believes that he can get anyone out at any time,” said his smiling father, Brandon Neighbors, visiting from Texas with the rest of Tyson’s family.

“That’s what he told the Padres in his pre-draft interview and he’s been going out of his way to try to prove it this year.”

In the nightcap, the TinCaps put three runs on the board early as Miguel Mendez breezed through the first three innings. Cedar Rapids came back with a two-run home run in the fourth and a solo one in the fifth as his fastball velocity and slider bite faded. The righty, who was hitting 98 regularly through the early part of his night, punched out nine in 4.1 innings, but walked five and ultimately left having thrown 86 pitches.

The tie didn’t last long, as Kaden Hollow laced a two-out, two-run triple deep to right to put Fort Wayne up 5-3, a lead they would never relinquish.

“The journey is not always the same for everyone,” said Hollow, who signed with the Padres out of Dixie State in 2022 and whose career has been marred by injuries.

“Some things didn’t exactly go my way at the beginning, but there is always more baseball to be played. I just really enjoy being out there with my teammates.”

In the sixth, Butterworth put the game out of reach with his second triple of the day, this a bases-clearing blast that put the TinCaps up by five runs.

Leo De Vries added a sacrifice fly to close out the scoring.

For Ray, who managed many of the same players at Lake Elsinore in 2024, being able to continue to be part of their development process is huge.

“This is the main reason why you want to do this job,” said Ray, smiling. “Seeing some of these guys come in as teenagers and grow on and off the field is impressive. We have them from every country and background.

“It is amazing.”

Notes:  Neighbors faced his college roommate, Kaelen Culpepper, who was the Twins’ first-round selection, in the ninth inning.  After striking out the first two hitters he faced, Neighbors gave up a double to his former teammate. The right-hander returned and punched out the next batter, but there is a good chance that at-bat will be discussed for years among the two friends.