Longballs Lead Loons to Lashing of Lake County

The Great Lakes Loons hitters seem to love Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

On May 14 at the Lake County Captains, the Loons left the yard five times, the most homers in a game for Great Lakes this season.

Wednesday night, they did it again.

The Loons hit five home runs in a game Wednesday for the second time this season, both taking place at Classic Park, dispatching Lake County 14-4.

For Great Lakes (59-39, 19-13 second half), the scoring started on the opening pitch of the ballgame. Eddys Leonard took the first pitch from Rodney Boone (L, 1-3) deep to left field, his 10th home run of the season.

The Loons, High-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, would extend their advantage to 5-0 in the next frame. Luis Yanel Diaz walked before Aldrich De Jongh hit his seventh longball of the season, putting the visitors ahead, 3-0. Harold Restituyo singled, then Ismael Alcantara hit an RBI triple. Alcantara scored on a Leonard groundout, and the Loons took their five-run advantage.

One more run crossed the plate in the third inning on a Jose Ramos home run, his 15th as a Loon and his 21st of the season in total. That put Great Lakes ahead, 6-0.

Lake County (52-44, 17-13) scored for the first time in the bottom of the third inning. Two straight two-out doubles from Petey Halpin and Gabriel Rodriguez accounted for the first run before an error prolonged the inning, eventually allowing two more runs to score in the frame. That cut the Captains’ deficit in half, 6-3.

Great Lakes responded in the next half-frame. Imanol Vargas led off the inning with a single, then Diaz went deep for the second time as a Loon, extending the advantage to 8-3. Boone left after the fifth inning, allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits and three walks.

The Captains, High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, got one more run on the night, thanks to a solo homer from Joe Naranjo, his 13th of 2022, to bring the home side within four, trailing 8-4. Emmet Sheehan (W, 6-2) completed the frame to polish off a solid start for the Loons right-hander. Sheehan spun five frames, allowing six hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Of the four runs he allowed, just two were earned.

The Loons offensive momentum continued to the seventh inning. After three walks, an error, two outs in the frame and a pitching change, Jorbit Vivas hit his eighth home run of the season, a grand slam. That drove in four of the five runs the Loons scored in the frame, giving them a 13-4 lead. It was the sixth grand slam of the season for Great Lakes, which ties a single-season franchise record set just last year.

The visitors finally achieved their 10-run margin in the ninth inning. Restituyo singled to lead of the frame, made it to third on an error, then scored on a Leonard sacrifice fly, giving Great Lakes the final 14-4 lead.

On the hill, the Loons bullpen picked up right where Sheehan left off. Antonio Knowles, Julian Smith, Aldry Acosta and Adam Scoggins each tossed a scoreless inning in relief, including a perfect frame and two strikeouts from Knowles.

At the plate, it was one of the most successful games of the season. The 14 runs came on 14 hits, with all nine hitters in the lineup registering at least one base knock. Vivas came up a double short of the cycle: 3-for-6 with a triple and the grand slam. Restituyo, out of the eight-spot in the order, reached all five times he came to the plate, going 3-for-3 with two walks. with his first three-hit day in full-season affiliated baseball. In his four seasons in the pros, Wednesday was Restituyo’s first time reaching base five times, and his first three-hit day in full-season affiliated baseball. Plus, the Loons struck out just one time as a team in 48 plate appearances, by far a season-low.

The Loons even up the six-game series at one game apiece, and take an 8-6 lead in the season series. Game three of the set is Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., seeing Nick Nastrini (4-3, 4.12 ERA) take the hill for the Loons, opposing fellow righty Aaron Davenport (2-5, 5.27 ERA) for Lake County. ESPN 100.9-FM pregame coverage kicks off at 6:45 p.m. with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team’s inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team’s home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.