Great Lakes Back in First with Extra-Innings Thriller

EASTLAKE, OH – The Great Lakes Loons (38-31) needed 11 innings to down the Lake County Captains (37-32) Thursday night, scoring three runs in the top of the final frame to retake first place in the East Division with an 8-5 win at Classic Park. Ryan Ward tripled and scored to give the Loons the lead in the top of the ninth, only to break a 5-5 tie in the top of the 11th with a run-scoring double.

Dayton falling in Fort Wayne left the door open for the Loons to slide back into first in the East Division, leading the Dragons by a half game and leading Lake County by a full game. The Loons and Captains entered this series on Tuesday both tied for second in the East, trailing Dayton by a half game. Thursday’s win gives Great Lakes a game advantage over the Captains in this series slugfest.

The Loons quickly began Thursday’s 8-5 win with a two-run first inning, highlighted by a two-out double by Andy Pages to score Joe Vranesh. Carson Taylor promptly scored Pages with a two-out single, giving the Loons a 2-0 lead into the home half. Great Lakes added a run in the fourth and fifth, both coming as solo blasts for Deacon Liput and Brandon Lewis. It was the 10th for Lewis in his 20th game in a Loons uniform.

The two Loons long balls added to the weekly team total, which is now up to nine after four in Tuesday’s opener and three in Wednesday’s win. On the year, the Loons have amassed 97 long balls, best in the High-A Central and is third-most among the 30 High-A clubs at the Minor-League level.

Logan Boyer recorded six outs for the second time this season, holding Lake County scoreless on one hit and striking out three. Boyer finished two innings for the first time just two appearances ago on July 14 in Dayton. Following Boyer’s two innings, Jose Martinez motored the Loons defense through 4 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, striking out three batters.

After striking out the side in the eighth, Zack Plunkett surrendered the game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, to Captains leftfielder Cody Farhat, who recently joined Lake County from Cleveland’s Low-A affiliate Lynchburg. Braidyn Fink (W, 1-4) finished the ninth, and held Lake County scoreless in the tenth on no hits, striking out two. Mike Mokma earned the save, also striking out two batters to slam the door shut in the 11th.

Loons pitchers combined to hold Lake County 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 runners aboard.

Kevin Kelly (L, 1-2) was responsible for the decisive three-run 11th on three hits, walking no batters and recording a strikeout. Lake County got their first start from Zach Draper, who began the season at the Triple-A level for Cleveland’s Columbus Clippers. Draper allowed three runs on six hits to Great Lakes, walking two batters, striking out four, and giving up a solo home run to Deacon Liput in Draper’s final inning. Nathan Ocker relieved Draper for the following three innings, shining with six strikeouts and no walks, despite allowing the Brandon Lewis home run. Lake County’s Jerson Ramirez was responsible for a leadoff triple to Ward to begin the top of the ninth, and was his only run allowed after Ward was scored from a Zac Ching base hit.

A star-studded bill is set in a Friday night pitching matchup in game four of a six-game series, with the Loons sending a pair of their top draft picks against Lake County’s first-rounder. Clayton Beeter, who was the Dodgers’ compensation pick in round two of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Texas Tech makes his 18th appearance in a Friday start, and is scheduled to be followed up by the Dodgers’ first-rounder, Bobby Miller. Opposing the Loons’ tandem starters is Captains’ right-hander Daniel Espino, Cleveland’s 24th-overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Espino, a high school selection for Cleveland out of Georgia Premier in Statesboro, GA, began the season with Low-A Lynchburg. Espino hurled four innings on July 15 against Lansing, striking out nine batters while allowing two runs on three hits.

Coverage begins at 6:30 P.M. EDT with the Loons On-Deck Circle, Built by Three Rivers on ESPN 100.9 FM. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. from Classic Park.

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.