Lake County Uses Late Offense to Take Series Opener
MIDLAND, Mich. – When Kendall Williams, the Great Lakes Loons’ starting pitcher, exited the game after six innings Tuesday having done his job, but his team trailed the Lake County Captains 2-1 at Dow Diamond. If his team could come back and tie it, he could avoid a tough-luck loss.
MIDLAND, Mich. – When
Instead, the Loons offense mustered just one hit after his departure, while Lake County put up another six runs.
A close game quickly turned into a blowout as the Captains took down the Loons, 8-1, to open the final six-game series of the regular season at Dow Diamond.
Lake County (70-49, 35-18 second half) struck first with an unearned run in the second inning. Christian Cairo was hit by a pitch, stole second, then scored on a throwing error to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.
The Loons (73-48, 33-22) answered in the fourth frame.
The Captains, High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, tallied what would turn out to be the winning run in the sixth inning. Milan Tolentino singled with one out, made it to third on a Joe Naranjo singled, and came in to score thanks to an Alexfri Planez sacrifice fly. Lake County held a 2-1 lead at that point.
For Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, that was the only earned run allowed by their starting right-hander Williams (L, 3-5). He tossed six complete innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks. He also punched out seven batters.
The Captains’ starter also went six strong innings. Right-hander Jack Leftwich (W, 4-0) did not walk a batter and struck out nine. He allowed one earned run on three hits.
Lake County tallied another run in the seventh inning on no hits. Two walks and a stolen base led to a double play scoring the lone run.
The eighth frame is where things fell apart for Great Lakes. The Captains scored sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five runs in the inning, only one of which was earned due to the Loons’ second error of the game. There were just two hits in the inning, one a solo homer from Naranjo. There were also four walks and a man reached on a strikeout-wild pitch. After the Loons got out of it, they found themselves in an 8-1 hole, which would be the final score.
In his return from the injured list, Great Lakes righty reliever Michael Hobbs tossed a perfect ninth inning.
The Loons entered this set with Lake County in a season-series tie at nine games apiece, which they now trail 10-9. Game two of the six-game set is set for 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Dow Diamond, with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland, kicking off ESPN 100.9-FM pregame coverage at 6:50 p.m. Right-hander
At Dow Diamond, it’s the final Paws and Claws game of the season, presented by White Claw – enjoy 50% off White Claws all night long, and bring your furry friend to enjoy some baseball. Tickets are still available at Loons.com.
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.