First Inning Fells Loons

LumberKings take the series

By Chris Vosters

May 13, 2017

CLINTON, Iowa - The Great Lakes Loons ran into a buzz-saw in the first inning on Saturday night at Ashford University Field as the Clinton LumberKings scored four runs on seven hits, and cut down the Loons 7-4 to win the three-game set.The Loons (16-20) finish their six-game road trip

CLINTON, Iowa - The Great Lakes Loons ran into a buzz-saw in the first inning on Saturday night at Ashford University Field as the Clinton LumberKings scored four runs on seven hits, and cut down the Loons 7-4 to win the three-game set.
The Loons (16-20) finish their six-game road trip 3-3, and after a day off on Mother's Day, open a three-game homestand against the Lake County Captains on Monday at 7:05 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 6:35 on ESPN 100.9-FM.
Clinton's big first inning came at the expense of Loons right-hander Willian Soto (L, 4-1), who made his first start of the season and the 11th of his four-year career. The LumberKings batted around, and hit two triples in the frame.
Righty starter Brandon Miller (W, 4-2) secured the win for Clinton, the franchise's first series win at home against the Loons since 2009.
Home runs factored into the Loons offensive output for the first time in the series. Right-hander Errol Robinson took Miller deep in the sixth inning to make the score 6-2 Clinton. Robinson joined the Loons on Thursday from Extended Spring Training. The homer occurred in his second game in Loons' uniform. The Dodgers drafted Robinson in the sixth round of the 2016 Draft out of Ole Miss.
Six-foot-six lefty Oneil Cruz bopped his second home run of the road trip in the ninth inning to get the score to 7-4. The 18-year-old scored three runs in a game for the second time in four games, and extended his hit streak to a season-best five in a row.
While Cruz heated up on the road venture, fellow Dominican Carlos Rincon remained gelid at the plate. While Rincon still leads the Midwest League in home runs (8), he went hitless on the trip and is 0-for-19 since his last hit-an inside-the-park home run on May 6.
The 2016 Midwest League Champions and hosts of the 2017 MWL All-Star Game presented by GoGreat.com have been a Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. For tickets and more information about the Great Lakes Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.