Pitchers' Duel Goes Fort Wayne's Way

MIDLAND, Mich. -- It was coming down to the wire between the Great Lakes Loons and Fort Wayne TinCaps to open the 2nd half of the Midwest League season. Both pitching staffs held the opposing offenses in check until the 9th inning when Fort Wayne decided six runs was the right amount, winning by a score of 6-0. It was, however, still a night to remember as a sellout crowd of 6,064 was in attendance.
Each starting pitcher was excellent. John Rooney threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts for the Loons, while Joey Cantillo did him one better tossing six scoreless frames with 10 punch outs. However, even after both finalized their starts, no runs had been scored yet.
Fresh off an appearance at the MWL All-Star Game, Jose Chacin pitched a scoreless 6th inning while Mark Washington continued his strong start to his Loons season with two innings of work. It was in the 9th where it went awry.
Agustin Ruiz and Michael Curry both reached to begin the inning, and as Justin Lopez attempted to move them over with a sacrifice bunt, a throwing error allowed all three runners to score in the same play. Another single and two doubles allowed the runs to pile up for the TinCaps.
The Loons have three more games to get revenge against Fort Wayne this weekend beginning Friday night through Sunday afternoon.
Friday: Polish Heritage Night feat. Feel Good Fridays & Extra Innings
Saturday: Soccer Night feat. Birdzerk & Fireworks
Sunday: Meet the Team Day feat. Team Photo Giveaway
July 2: Two-Fer Tuesday
July 3: Independence Day Celebration feat. Theme Jersey Auction
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.