Pontooners-TinCaps Split Doubleheader, Copen K’s 6 in Home Debut

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Pontooners (41-42) (7-10) and Fort Wayne TinCaps (35-49) (7-11) each grabbed a game, a Pontooners 4-1 win in game one and a 3-2 TinCaps victory on a 77-degree partly cloudy Thursday night at Dow Diamond. It is the first of three days; Great Lakes dons their Pontooners persona.

Pontooners 4, TinCaps 1 – Game One

- Patrick Copen made his first start at Dow Diamond, going five scoreless innings and striking out six. The right-hander earned a punchout in every inning. The 22-year-old was one of his career best in strikeouts.

- All four of Great Lakes runs came with two outs. In the second inning, Jake Gelof walked with six pitches. Jordan Thompson next-up rocked a ball 350 feet and 93 mph.

- In the fifth, Dylan Campbell singled with two outs. Kyle Nevin then on a 2-1 pitch, crushed one 375 feet and 105 mph off the bat.

- Kelvin Ramirez worked the final two innings, he struck out two in the sixth. After two singles and a wild pitch that netted a run, Ramirez retired the next two, both via strikes. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.19.

TinCaps 3, Pontooners 2 – Game Two

- Fort Wayne’s Sam Whiting went 3.1 innings, the most in an outing with the TinCaps. Great Lakes tallied the first run in the fourth, on a one-out Luis Rodriguez RBI single. Great Lakes left two on base.

- The Loons had a bullpen day. With Jeisson Cabrera striking out three over two clean frames. Carson Hobbs worked a scoreless third, and Garrett McDaniels tossed two innings, stranding two on.

- Brandon Neeck got the sixth but would not finish the frame. Two walks followed by two singles, an RBI hit by Devin Ortiz, and a two-run knock by Anthony Vilar.

- Jordan Thompson started the bottom of the sixth with a roped double up the left field line. A wild pitch moved him to third where Frank Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly moved Thompson home. Manuel Castro, entered for Fort Wayne, striking out the next two and two more in the seventh. Overall, Great Lakes went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Rounding Things Out

Great Lakes is now 7-6 in seven-inning games in 2024.

Up Next

The Pontooners and TinCaps play tomorrow, Friday, July 12th. The first pitch is at 7:05 pm. It is the second night of Pontooners Weekend presented by Sugar Springs Marine. There will be dueling pianos playing Yacht Rock and of course, a Feast Friday presented by Isabella Bank.

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.