Great Lakes Holds Off Wisconsin 7-3, Now First Place in Midwest League  

Appleton, Wis. – The Great Lakes Loons (17-8) had three two-run innings and stranded eight Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (16-9) runners, taking a 7-3 win on a 72-degree, and sunny Friday night at Fox Cities Stadium.

With a win, Great Lakes has the best record in the Midwest League. The Loons are now 9-1 through the first 10 games of a 12-game road trip and are 13-3 on the road this season, second-best in Minor League Baseball.

Kelvin Ramirez inherited bases loaded, no outs, and a 7-1 lead in the ninth and retired three of the four he faced. The Timber Rattlers left two on base to end the game. Ramirez now has a 0.68 ERA in nine appearances and 13.1 innings.

Kyle Nevin got the scoring started. He powered out a two-out two-strike pitch for a two-run home run 405 feet to deep left field in the first. Nevin’s second homer and tenth extra-base hit in his 23rd game.

Great Lakes tacked on two runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Three straight reached to push Wisconsin starter Brian Fitzpatrick out of the game. Jake Vogel’s sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice from Dylan Campbell made it 4-0.

Four straight Loons got aboard with two outs in the top of the fifth. Thayron Liranzo walked and was scored on a Sam Mongelli double to left-center. A walk, hit by a pitch, and Alex Freeland's RBI single followed. Freeland's OPS at 1.073 remains atop the league, and his single brought the score to 6-0. A Liranzo RBI single in the ninth, was the seventh run.

Loons pitching held the Timber Rattlers scoreless through the first seven innings. Great Lakes starter Maddux Bruns struck out six in three innings worked. Michael Martinez induced three groundouts in the fourth, and Christian Romero retired nine of his first 12 faced in his first three innings. Wisconsin pushed across one on Romero; a double play kept it there.

Rounding Things Out

Alex Freeland’s 25 walks have him in a three-way tie for first in the Midwest League. He has played four fewer games than Carter Jensen of Quad Cities and two fewer played than Will Simpson of Lansing.

Up Next

The Great Lakes Loons finish their remarkable 12-game road trip this weekend. Two 2:10 p.m. ET starts. The first is tomorrow Saturday, May 4th.

The Great Lakes Loons have been 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 Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.