Loons Outlast Captains in High-Octane Series Finale

In the first five games of a six-game series this week at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, the Great Lakes Loons and Lake County Captains scored no more than 10 total runs in a game, with either team scoring more than six runs just once.

In the final game of the set Sunday afternoon, the teams combined for 19 runs and saw just seven scoreless half-innings.

The Loons had enough offense in the end, outlasting Lake County 10-9 in the final game of the series to win the series, four games to two.

Great Lakes (19-14) scored first for the fifth time this series, thanks to a home run from Eddys Leonard in the first inning.

Lake County (14-17) responded right away. With two outs in the first inning, Jhonkensy Noel doubled, then Johnathan Rodriguez homered, putting the home side ahead, 2-1.

Both teams would go down scoreless in the second inning before the Loons went back in front in the third. Imanol Vargas led off the frame with a single, then Jonny Deluca reached base by getting hit by a pitch. Leonard stepped up again and blasted his second home run in as many at-bats, a three-run blast putting the Loons ahead, 4-2. That was Leonard’s second home run of the day, his fourth of the week, and his fifth of the season. Great Lakes got one more run in the frame on a sacrifice fly from Ismael Alcantara.

The Captains, High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, got one run back in the bottom of the third, on a solo homer by Noel. After three innings, the Loons led, 5-3.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, notched another run in the top of the fourth inning. Vargas smacked a one-out double, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Leonard single, padding the Loons advantage to 6-3.

The home side had their biggest inning in the bottom of the fourth. After a walk and a one-out Gabriel Rodriguez double, Korey Holland smacked a double to bring the Captains within one. They wouldn’t have to wait long to tie the game: the very next batter, Joe Naranjo, singled to score Holland. A three-run frame tied the game at six runs apiece.

The Loons answered back with a three-run frame of their own. Alcantara reached on a one-out error, then Edwin Mateo singled. Alcantara scored from third on a passed ball, then after the second out was recorded, Vargas blasted a two-run bomb to put the Loons ahead, 9-6. All three runs that scored in the inning were unearned to Lenny Torres (L, 1-1), but they would end up being the decisive runs.

The Captains scored a run in the bottom of the fifth. A Gabriel Rodriguez solo shot trimmed the Loons lead to two runs. That was the lone hit allowed by Kyle Hurt (W, 1-0), who struck out four batters in a two-inning relief appearance.

In the top of the seventh, Great Lakes scored a run on just one hit. Mateo reached on a hit by pitch and moved to third on a Vargas single. DeLuca hit a shallow fly that resulted in a forceout at second, but he records the RBI to put the Loons ahead, 10-7.

Again in the seventh, the Captains had an immediate response. They scored in all five innings in which the Loons scored. Aaron Bracho got his first hit of the day, an RBI double. In the next frame, Noel blasted his second home run of the day and his ninth of the season to pull Lake County within a run, 10-9 in the eighth inning. Noel had an incredible day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBIs, a double and two home runs.

In the ninth, the Loons went down in order and failed to add any insurance to their one-run lead, but Jose Hernandez (SV, 6) set down the Captains in a perfect ninth inning to secure the 10-9 victory for the Loons.

Great Lakes had many players that excelled on the offensive end. Vargas went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBIs, a double and a home run. He becomes the first Loon to record four hits in a game this season. Leonard went 3-for-5 with a game-high 5 RBIs, two runs and two homers. Kekai Rios also went 3-for-5 with a double. Despite allowing nine runs, there were bright spots on the Loons pitching staff, namely, the fact that they recorded 13 strikeouts as a team, led by five from starter Nick Nastrini. Defensively, the Loons played an error-free nine innings for the second day in a row.

The Loons take down the Captains in the series, four games to two, and now lead the season series, 7-5. Great Lakes returns home to Dow Diamond in Midland, Mich., for a six-game series beginning Tuesday morning at 11:05 a.m., their second and final School Kids Day of the year. Pregame coverage begins on ESPN 100.9-FM at 10:50 a.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.