Beloit Takes Series Opener Despite Notching One Hit

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons pitching staff was dealing on Wednesday night at Dow Diamond. They allowed zero earned runs on just one hit.

Despite that, they took the loss.

The Beloit Sky Carp got one run across the board in the top of the seventh inning on no hits in the frame to defeat the Loons, 1-0.

Beloit (8-14) got its lone run after Ryan Sublette (L, 1-1) walked J.D. Orr to lead off the seventh frame. On the first pitch to the next batter, Orr stole second. On the next pitch, he took off for third and scored on an errant throw by Ryan January. That one run would be the difference. Sublette did not allow a hit or an earned run in his two innings of work, yet he suffers the loss.

The Loons (10-12) pitching staff was excellent again, beginning with right-handed starter Nick Nastrini. He pitched himself into a jam in the first inning, walking the first three batters he saw, but got out of the frame unscathed. He would retire eight in a row including five strikeouts before allowing the first and only Beloit base hit of the day in the third inning. His final line was three scoreless frames of one-hit baseball, with three walks and five punchouts.

Braydon Fisher picked up where Nastrini left off, tossing two no-hit innings out of the bullpen with one walk and a pair of punchouts. Antonio Knowles tossed a scoreless frame with a walk and a strikeout. After Sublette’s two hitless innings with three Ks, Michael Hobbs finished the game facing the minimum in his one inning: the one batter he walked was retired on a pickoff, and he struck out the other two batters he faced.

Great Lakes, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, would strike out 13 Sky Carp batters, but also walk seven over the course of the game. The Loons hitters struck out just seven times, but walked only once.

The Loons did outhit Beloit, the partner of the Miami Marlins, two to one, but did not string their hits together. Both of their hits came off of right-handed starter M.D. Johnson (W, 1-3), who was otherwise terrific. He struck out six and did not walk a batter in his seven scoreless innings. Sean Reynolds (SV, 2) picked up the save with a perfect ninth inning of work.

All in all, it was a game dominated by pitchers. There were no run-scoring hits, no hits for extra bases, and just three total base knocks. The low-octane offense, in tandem with the pitch clock, kept this game quick. Total time: two hours, four minutes. The final out was recorded at 8:12 p.m. – the sun did not set in Midland until 8:43 p.m.

The Loons and Sky Carp will play a doubleheader Thursday night to make up for the rainout on Tuesday. First pitch of the opening contest is scheduled for 5:05 p.m., with the second game beginning approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. In the first game, southpaw Patrick Monteverde (0-0, 3.29 ERA) will pitch for Beloit, opposing the Loons’ right-hander Gavin Stone (0-1, 1.93 ERA). The second game will see Loons lefty Lael Lockhart (1-0, 0.69 ERA) facing off against the Sky Carp’s Hunter Perdue (1-1, 6.46 ERA). Tickets are still available on loons.com, and a ticket for tomorrow’s game is good for all fourteen innings. It’s Thirsty Thursday, which means 50% off draft beer all night long. Catch all the action on ESPN 100.9-FM, beginning at 4:50 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.