Loons Take Tenth Straight, Match Franchise Record

Beloit, Wis. – The Great Lakes Loons (35-15) are winners of their last 10 games, the fourth instance in franchise history. They beat the Beloit Sky Carp (22-26) 10-0 on a toasty 89-degree Saturday at ABC Supply Stadium. Great Lakes completed their best start ever through 50 games, at 35-15.

The top of the first saw six runs on four hits for the Loons. Luis Diaz swung at the first pitch of the game and drilled it into left-center. A double with an error advanced Diaz into third. Two walks then loaded the bases with one out, Chris Newell worked an eight-pitch base on balls.

With the bases loaded, Yeiner Fernandez tapped the ball toward standard second base depth, but both middle infielders converged at the base allowing it to sneak into right field and plate two. Ismael Alcantara then was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Taylor Young. Young walloped one into left field, a bases-clearing triple, the fifth three-bagger for Great Lakes in the series.

Frank Rodriguez, the ninth batter in the inning, scored Young on a groundball single into right field, the score was 6-0 before Beloit’s bats began their day.

Maddux Bruns,for the third time this season, his first in a Loons uniform, collected seven strikeouts. A baserunner reached in each inning, but a strikeout ended all three Bruns threw. The third inning took 30 pitches with the 20-year-old navigating around a walk and a hit-by-pitch, finishing with a nine-pitch strikeout.

Christian Suarez tossed a 1-2-3 fourth inning, and Orlando Ortiz took the Loons the rest of the way.

The right-hander tied a season-high, throwing five scoreless innings. Ortiz faced the minimum through the first two innings, picking off Jacob Berry off first base. The only frame the Sky Carp had multiple runners on against Ortiz was in the seventh. After two singles, it took three pitches to end the inning a flyout and force-out fielder’s choice.

Great Lakes tacked on three in the final three innings. A Chris Newell RBI single, in the top of the eighth. The 22-year-old has six runs batted in, through his five games at the High-A level. In the ninth, two Beloit errors helped pushed across two more runs. Alex Freeland brought it to 10-0 with an RBI double.

Great Lakes goes for a franchise record eleventh straight tomorrow. The series finale in Beloit is Sunday, June 4th, first pitch is at 2:05 p.m. ET.

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.