Loons Fail to Sweep

MIDLAND, Mich. - Aiming for a sweep, the Great Lakes Loons came up two runs short in a 4-2 loss to the Lake County Captains on Monday at Dow Diamond. However, with the Dayton Dragons also losing, the Loons remain just 3 GB of the Midwest League Eastern Division wild card spot in the chase for a second-half playoff spot.
In the top of the eighth, Captains (18-25) slugger Will Benson launched his 17th home run of the season to help secure the victory. Meanwhile, Great Lakes went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine hitters on-base. 
Facing Loons (17-27) starter Gerardo Carrillo, Lake County managed to strike first in a powerful way. Josh Rolette hit his fourth homer of the year, then Gabriel Mejia singled in Todd Isaacs for a 2-0 edge. 
Great Lakes pulled a run back in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI groundout from Brock Carpenter to drive in Devin Mann. The run was not allowed until after Captains starter Luis Oviedo (W, 1-0) handed the ball off to reliever Felix Tati. 
Oviedo, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, issued two hits and four walks with four strikeouts. 
Carrillo (L, 0-1) finished the game with 5.0 innings of two-run baseball for Great Lakes. He gave up those runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. 
The top of the seventh and eighth featured two more runs for the Captains. Jesse Berardi tripled to score Mejia, then Benson got into a ball and sent it over the wall in left field an inning later for a 4-1 lead. 
Despite giving up the shot to Benson, Loons reliever Darien Nunez kept his team at a three-run deficit to bat in the bottom of the ninth. Against Tati, Romer Cuadrado singed and Gersel Pitre doubled to put two runners in scoring position without an out. 
The right-hander followed the scare by retiring three-straight Loons, even though one was an RBI fly out by Drew Avans. 
Tati (SV, 2) threw 4.0 innings and gave up just one run (unearned) on two hits and four walks. The 21-year-old struck out four in the impressive showing. 
Great Lakes got a hit or walk from all nine members of its starting lineup. 
After a Midwest League off day on Tuesday, the Loons travel to play the South Bend Cubs from Aug. 8-10 before returning to Midland for a seven-game homestand against the Dayton Dragons and Bowling Green Hot Rods.
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.