Loons Win Fourth Straight, Top TinCaps 5-3

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Great Lakes Loons (12-7) tallied five runs for a third straight game, winning their fourth consecutive contest over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (8-10) 5-3 on a cloudy 64-degree Friday night at Parkview Field.

The game was delayed by rain for one hour and 11 minutes and was a Copa night in Fort Wayne, with Great Lakes donning their Pepinillos Picantes del Norte jerseys and caps.

Great Lakes got off to a hot start, plating four runs on four hits in the first. Alex Freeland was hit by a pitch and was scored on a Noah Miller double up the right-field line. Then three straight singles followed from Kyle Nevin, Dylan Campbell, and Chris Newell. Campbell and Newell both plated a run. A Sam Mongelli groundout pushed across Campbell for the fourth run.

Fort Wayne starter Henry Baez retired 15 of the next 16, striking out eight. Peter Heubeck also punched out eight. The right-hander struck out two in the first and third, and the side in the second.

The next five innings, Loons pitching bent but didn’t break. Jonathan Edwards struck out the first two he faced, but two walks, a single, and catcher interference put the TinCaps on the board. Livan Reinoso entered and quickly forced a popup. The right-hander has inherited nine runners in six appearances, stranding them all.

Franklin De La Paz walked three Fort Wayne batters in the seventh, with Griffin Doersching flaring a ball into right scoring two. The defense helped limit the damage, an unsuccessful double steal with Nelson Quiroz throwing out Doesrching at second. A groundout ended things.

Kelvin Ramirez racked up the final six outs, retiring three straight in the eighth after two TinCaps singles. In the ninth, Fort Wayne wasted runners on the corners with a flyout and groundout. Ramirez leads the Loons with two saves in two attempts.

Rounding Things Out

Fort Wayne’s two-run seventh inning was their first multi-run inning of the season and just their second in seven games versus Great Lakes.

Up Next

The Loons and TinCaps have a quick turnaround. The first pitch of game five of the series is tomorrow Saturday, April 27th at 1:05 p.m.

The Great Lakes Loons have been 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 Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.