Loons Hold Off Timber Rattlers 5-4

Midland, Mich.– The Great Lakes Loons (42-19) received strong pitching performances from five pitchers topping the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (24-36) 5-4 on a sunny 80-degree Saturday night at Dow Diamond.

It was the fourth straight game of the series decided by one run, the first two, and tonight going to Great Lakes.

Benony Robles inherited a runner on second and first with no outs and a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth. The 24-year-old southpaw induced two popups and then punched out Ben Metzinger to end the Timber Rattlers threat. Robles made quick work in the ninth, a 1-2-3 finishing with his second strikeout.

Kendall Williams made his first start at Dow Diamond, since last September. The right-hander retired the first 11 batters he faced. Ending the top of the second and third inning with strikeouts. The lone run and hit came from Joe Gray Jr’s. solo blast to left field in the fourth. The 22-year-old needed just 50 pitches to finish four innings.

Great Lakes tallied three of their five runs in the bottom of the fourth. After three no-hit innings from Wisconsin’s Tyler Woessner, Alex Freeland walked on five pitches to start the inning. Yeiner Fernandez followed with a double and then with two on Damon Keith belted a single to left field to tie it 1-1.

A batter later, Griffin Lockwood-Powell skied a ball to right field deep enough to score Fernandez from third. A wild throw toward home from right field moved Keith to second. He was plated by an Ismael Alcantara RBI single.

The Loons added another run in the bottom of the fifth as Alex Freeland's baserunning prowess was on full display. Freeland walked with one out, stole second base, his fourth of the week. The 21-year-old then scooted to third after a groundout and then darted home after a wild pitch.

Adolfo Ramirez tamed the Timber Rattlers in the fifth and sixth. The right-hander making his first appearance since April 29th tossed two scoreless innings. The 23-year-old stranded runners on the corners in the sixth, generating a groundout.

Each team scored a run in the seventh. Wisconsin, with two singles, put runners on the corners, and a Jack Dreyer pick-off attempt to first was errant and plated a run. A Griffin Lockwood-Powell throw to third base was in time to tag out the runner coming from first. Great Lakes got a solo blast from Frank Rodriguez. His second of the series, the third in 16 games this season.

Wisconsin in the eighth down 5-2, rallied getting the first four batters to reach. Terence Doston had an RBI single, and Robert Moore had an RBI double. Moore was on second, and a walk from Matt Wood put two on. Mitchell Tyranski did not record an out, the Loons turned to Benony Robles who retired the final six batters.

Great Lakes tomorrow Sunday, June 18th will conclude their six-game series and 12-game homestand a 1:05 p.m. matchup against Wisconsin.

Sunday is Father’s Day. Post-game, dads and kids can play catch on the field presented by the P.C.U.P.S. Foundation, and the first 500 fans receive a FREE Souvenir Beer Cup with the purchase of a 32oz beer at select portables brought to you by Vantg Flooring & Exteriors.

The Great Lakes Loons have been the 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.