Loons fall on Military Appreciation Night

MIDLAND, Mich. - On a night when current & former military personnel were honored throughout the night, the Great Lakes Loons dropped game two of a four-game home-and-home series with the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Tuesday 2-0 at Dow Diamond. Despite racking up seven hits, the Loons (1-12) could not overcome the two runs scored by the TinCaps (9-4) in front of a sellout crowd of 5,243 fans.
Fort Wayne jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning off Great Lakes starter Victor Gonzalez (L, 0-3) and never looked back. Nick Feight brought home Jeisson Rosario on a sacrifice fly to center field. The TinCaps scored again in the top third on a single by Justin Lopez, driving in Esteury Ruiz for a 2-0 edge. 
Gonzalez went 5.0 innings and gave up two runs on six hits and one walk. He struck out four hitters before handing the ball off to Melvin Jimenez, who was reassigned to the Loons from the AZL Dodgers earlier in the day. 
Jimenez tossed 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball. The 18-year-old only allowed two hits while striking out four in his first game with the Loons since June 10. 
As for the TinCaps, they were led by 20-year-old Osvaldo Hernandez. He was stellar, throwing 6.0 innings without giving up a run. He struck out five and only allowed six hits, lowering his ERA to 2.00 on the season. Austin Smith and Travis Radke (SV, 11) pitched the final 3.0 innings for the TinCaps and did not miss a beat. The duo gave up one hit and struck out three. 
Dan Jagiello pitched the ninth for the Loons and kept the score the same heading into the bottom of the inning. 
In the final frame, Devin Mann hit a leadoff single to right field, setting the table for Carlos Rincon. The slugger grounded into a force out, bringing up Romer Cuadrado. Cuadrado was at the plate when Mann was caught stealing second base. Then, the 20-year-old struck out swinging to end the game. 
The Loons and TinCaps continue their four-game series on the Fourth of July, not in Midland, but in Fort Wayne. Great Lakes returns home to Dow Diamond on July 6 against the Dayton Dragons for a four-game series.
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.