Great Lakes Outslug Lake County, In Combined 19 Run Shootout

(EASTLAKE, OH) – The Great Lakes Loons (19-14) and Lake County Captains (14-18) combined for seven home runs and six doubles in a 10-9 win for the Loons, on a sunny Sunday at Classic Park.

The scoring started early and happened often. In the top of the first inning, Eddys Leonard lifted a solo homer and the Captains responded in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer off the bat of Johnathan Rodriguez.

Tommy Mace was the starter for Lake County. After allowing the four-bagger, in the first inning he tossed a scoreless top of the second. In the third, Great Lakes had their best inning. After a bunt single and hit by pitch, Eddys Leonard stepped up and lined a three-run homer just over the left field fence. It was his second home run of the game. A sacrifice fly brought across run number four of the frame.

Entering the bottom of the third, Lake County was down 5-2. With two outs and no runners on, Jhonkensy Noel rocketed a missile over the left-center wall, to trim the lead.

After another Loons run in the top of the fourth, Lake County put up a three spot in the bottom of the fourth. Micael Ramirez walked, and Gabriel Rodriguez doubled to set up Korey Holland. He doubled down the left field line, plating both runners, his first multi-RBI hit and game of the season. Joe Naranjo then laced a single to right field to plate Holland, knotting up the game at six through four.

Great Lakes wouldn’t allow the tie to last for long. Ismael Alcantara reached on an error, moved to third on a single and scored after a wild pitch in the fifth. Then with a runner still on Imanol Vargas lifted a ball to deep right to make it a 9-6 lead.

Gabriel Rodriguez cut into the lead in the sixth, as he launched a pitch to left-center for his first home run of the season.

The Captains entering the bottom of the seventh were down 10-7, nine outs to left to get three runs. In the seventh Aaron Bracho delivered a opposite field RBI double to right field.

The eighth saw Jhonkensy Noel’s fifth plate appearance. He hammered a ball to right field that went over the wall and got stuck in an advertisement board in the lawn in right field to make the score 10-9. Noel went 4-5 on the day, with two home runs, a single and a double. The 20-year-old now has nine home runs in 29 games played.

After a scoreless top of the ninth tossed by Cade Smith for Lake County, the Captains could not scratch across the tying run in the bottom of the ninth going down 1-2-3.

After an off-day, Lake County heads to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to begin a 12 game 13-day road trip. The Captains take on the Kernels at 7:35 p.m. on Tuesday May 17.

Coverage of the game can be found on WJCU.org/Captains and the MiLB First Pitch app.