Rincon Home Run the Difference

MIDLAND, Mich. - Carlos Rincon hit a two-run home run in the first inning and that's all the Great Lakes Loons pitching staff needed in a 4-1 win over the Lake County Captains on Saturday night at Dow Diamond. It's now back-to-back wins for the Loons to kick off one of their longest homestands of the season that runs through Thursday.
It was all Loons for most of the night as Rincon got the offense off on the right foot. Brayan Morales followed that up in the third inning when he led off the frame with one of his two hits in the game, and later scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0. Morales went on to drive in the final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh as Mitchell Hansen scored.
Viewed by some as a possible snub from the Midwest League Eastern Division All-Star Team, Morales has been on a tear over the last month raising his batting average 40 points to a team-leading .280 mark. The league-leader in stolen bases (27) also seems to have Lake County's number this season hitting .346 in six games against the Captains.
All the while, it was business as usual for the Loons (21-39) pitching staff. After starter Andre Jackson could only work through the first three innings, Dan Jagiello and James Carter (W, 1-0) picked up the slack each throwing two innings of shutout relief. Along with the help of Aneurys Zabala down the stretch, Great Lakes held the Captains to just three hits through eight innings.
The only blip on the radar came in the top of the ninth when the Captains sent six batters to the plate that included singles for Jesse Berardi, Tyler Friis, and Nolan Jones. Berardi scored on Friis' base knock, but Oscar Gonzalez grounded into a force out to end the game.
Joining Morales on the Loons roster with a multi-hit game was Gersel Pitre who went 2-for-3. The 21-year-old catcher out of Venezuela is in his fifth season of pro ball with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is off to his best start in full-season baseball hitting .276.
Making just his third start as a professional, Zach Draper (L, 0-1) navigated his way through five innings for Lake County (25-37) allowing three runs on six hits.
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.