Loons notch first triple play of the year

It's been 60 days since the Minor League season kicked off, and if you're a fan of milestones, you haven't been disappointed so far. There have been multiple three-homer games by prospects, many exciting no-hitters across the league and a few cycles also sprinkled in to this point. However, the elusive triple play remained unclaimed by any of the 120 clubs across the Minors.

That was until Friday.

In what was undeniably worth the wait, five High-A Great Lakes players combined on a sensational 8-6-2-4-5-8 triple play to claim that first milestone of the 2022 season in the Loons' 7-5 defeat to Fort Wayne at the Dow Diamond.

After Dodgers left-handed pitching prospect Adam Scoggins started off the ninth with back-to-back walks, Matthew Acosta stepped to the dish. With a double and a single already in the game, Acosta connected on a fastball and sent a line drive into center that found the grass. That's when chaos ensued.

Loons centerfielder Ismael Alcantara got the ball back in quickly to shortstop Eddys Leonard, who ran down and tagged Jarryd Dale after he took a wide turn around the second-base bag thinking the throw was going to go home. From there, Leonard got the ball to catcher Ryan January, who was able to tag out Ripken Reyes a few feet from the plate after Reyes tried to score while Dale was caught in a rundown play.

January promptly fired the ball to second baseman Max Hewitt, who combined with third baseman Jorbit Vivas to catch Acosta in a rundown between second and third before Alcantara, who started the play, ran in to cover second and received a return throw from Vivas before applying the final tag to Acosta to complete the milestone.

It marks the first Loons triple play in 10 years. And the excitement of the feat appeared to energize Great Lakes, as the Loons responded by scoring four times in the bottom of the frame before ultimately falling just short of tying the score.