TinCaps Six-Run Fifth Tops Loons

Fort Wayne, Ind. – The Great Lakes Loons (60-35) (15-16) gave up a six-run, five-hit fifth inning dropping the series opener to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (50-47) (18-13) 10-5 on a partly cloudy Tuesday evening at Parkview Field.

Both starters permitted just one run through the first four innings. Jerming Rosario, the Loons starter, retired the first six batters he faced. In the third, Fort Wayne tallied three hits, the third an RBI single from Nerwillian Cedano.

Great Lakes responded in the fourth. Kenneth Betancourt hammered a ball to deep left field, a solo home run that made it 1-1. It was the only run permitted by 19-year-old Robby Snelling in five innings. Snelling is the Padres' No. 4 prospect via MLB Pipeline.

The TinCaps tacked on six runs in the fifth, started by an Anthony Vilar solo home run. After a Kai Murphy single, Rosario was removed. Carlos De Los Santos took 27 pitches to record the final two outs, facing eight batters, giving up four earned runs. The right-hander allowed two singles, hit two batters, and allowed a two-run double from Fort Wayne’s Graham Pauley.

The Loons outscored the TinCaps four to three through the final four innings. In the sixth, Alex Freeland plated Damon Keith with a sacrifice fly. Griffin Lockwood-Powell walked and came around after a Fort Wayne error in the seventh. In the ninth, Chris Alleyne slugged his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to right. Jake Vogel doubled, stole third, and sprinted home after a throwing error.

Against Mitchell Tyranski, the TinCaps padded their lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Graham Pauley started the inning with a line drive home run up the right field line. After a single and a walk, Anthony Vilar’s ground-rule double scored one, and Kai Murphy’s groundout brought Fort Wayne to ten on the day. Murphy went 3-4, with three singles.

Christian Suarez and *Juan Morillo *were bright spots in the Great Lakes bullpen. Suarez secured a 13-pitch 1-2-3 inning, and Morillo struck out two, facing the minimum in the eighth.

The Loons still own the season series winning seven of the first ten games. Game two of the series is tomorrow Wednesday, August 2nd. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

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.