Loons Come Back in Second Straight to Win in Extras

The Great Lakes Loons found themselves behind for the second straight game against the Quad Cities River Bandits Wednesday night. After trailing 3-1, the Loons forced extra innings at Modern Woodmen Park.

Great Lakes (51-32) left a season-high fourteen runners on base as they won 5-4 in eleven innings. Quad Cities (31-52) lost their second consecutive game when leading after the second inning.

The Loons, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, had a much different game than Tuesday night at the plate. Nine total hits and only one for extra bases in game two of the series. Jorbit Vivas had the lone extra-base hit with a solo home run in the sixth. It was his second home run in as many games.

The River Bandits, High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, got on the board in the first with an RBI single by Herald Gonzalez. They extended their lead in the second with a solo home run by Dillan Shrum. Great Lakes answered in the fourth when Vivas was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Quad Cities extended their lead back to two runs in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice fly by Shrum. All three runs for the River Bandits were charged to Loons starter Ben Casparius (0-0), who pitched four innings allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three.

River Bandits starter William Fleming (0-1) pitched five innings allowing one run on five hits and five walks. He left in line for the win when Patrick Halligan took over. Halligan however, gave up the lead and was eventually charged with a blown save. Great Lakes tied the game in the sixth with the aforementioned Vivas home run and an RBI single by Jose Ramos.

A combination of Jeff Belge, Cole Duensing, Ben Harris, and Ryan Sublette pitched five scoreless innings in relief. Belge struck out three and Sublette punched out three River Bandits and gave up three hits.

Kasey Kalich (L, 2-3) replaced Halligan for Quad Cities in the ninth and the game went to extras. An Edwin Mateo sacrifice fly in the tenth scored Kekai Rios and gave Great Lakes their first lead of the game. Braydon Fisher (W, 3-3) donned the mound and with two outs in the tenth, gave up a single to Luca Tresh that tied the game. Fisher was credited with a blown save along with the win. Great Lakes got another RBI sacrifice fly in the eleventh, this one by Alex De Jesus, which gave them a 5-4 lead. Fisher shut the door in the bottom half of the inning striking out three of the final four batters.

The Loons are victorious on back-to-back days despite leaving fourteen runners on base. Great Lakes has the opportunity to secure a series sweep before the weekend begins. Game three of the series is set for 7:30 p.m. EST Thursday night. The Loons send out one of their best piggyback starter duos in Carlos Duran (0-1) and Emmet Sheehan (4-2). They’ll face Quad Cities starter Rito Lugo (0-1). It all starts with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland, which kicks off at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN 100.9-FM.

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.