Eighth-Inning Onslaught Propels Loons to Seventh Straight Win

Coming into the eighth inning Wednesday night at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, the Great Lakes Loons were struggling. They had six hits in the previous five frames, but with just two runs to show for it, and nine men left stranded in those innings.

Finally, in the eighth, the Loons strung some hits together.

Great Lakes scored three runs in the frame to break a tie, and would go on to defeat the Lake County Captains, 5-2, securing its seventh straight win.

The Loons (17-12) got out to an early advantage in the game, scoring the game’s first run in the top of the third inning. Edwin Mateo led off the frame with his first home run of the season. Great Lakes would load the bases after that, but fail to score any more runs.

It didn’t take long for Lake County (12-16) to respond. The home side scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Jhonkensy Noel longball, his seventh of the year. The baserunner that scored on the bomb reached on an error, meaning just one run was earned against Loons lefty Lael Lockhart. The southpaw tossed five innings and allowed four hits and a walk, just the two runs (one earned) while picking up six strikeouts in his longest outing of the year.

The error in the fourth inning was the second and final error committed by the Great Lakes defense in the game, both by second baseman Eddys Leonard. His second-inning error broke a streak of 53 innings of errorless baseball by the Loons, spanning back to the eighth inning on Wednesday, May 4.

Great Lakes, High-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, would even the score again in the top of the fifth inning. Imanol Vargas led off the inning with a triple, his first of the year and just the fifth hit by a Loon this season. Jonny Deluca came to bat next, and drove in Vargas with a sacrifice fly.

The game remained tied until the decisive eighth inning. Leonel Valera began the frame reaching on an error, and moved to second on a Mateo single. Joe Vranesh registered an RBI single to give the Loons the lead back. Mateo moved to third on the play, but Vranesh was eliminated trying to stretch the hit into a double. Vargas was next, driving in Mateo with a single, then DeLuca reached on an error. The fifth and final run of the game scored thanks to a Leonard double.

All of that action was against Lake County reliever Serafino Brito (L, 0-1), who was only charged with one earned run due to the pair of errors. Brito allowed five hits in his two frames, did not walk a batter, and struck out two for the Cleveland affiliate.

Meanwhile, the Loons bullpen was flawless. Antonio Knowles surrendered a pair of hits in the sixth inning, but did not allow a run. Andrew Shaps pitched just 2-3 of an inning, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out a batter while keeping the Captains off the board. Ryan Sublette (W, 2-1) inherited two baserunners and wound up loading the bases with an intentional walk, but spun out of the seventh with a strikeout, then pitched the eighth to confirm the win. His final line read 1 1-3 hitless, scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Michael Hobbs (SV, 1) allowed a leadoff single in the ninth, then retired the next three including a strikeout to secure his first save.

Despite a pair of errors and 12 men left on base, the Loons secure their seventh consecutive win. For their part, Lake County committed three errors and left 10 on the base paths. Great Lakes has won 12 of their last 14 games and 15 of their last 20 after beginning the year 2-7. The Loons have taken a 2-0 series lead and look to secure at least the series split when the two teams square off on Thursday night. First pitch from Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Gavin Stone (1-1, 1.35 ERA) gets the start for the Loons, facing off against fellow righty Mason Hickman (0-2, 5.23 ERA) for Lake County. Pregame coverage begins with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland, at 6:20 p.m.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a 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.