Loons Held to One Hit for Second Time in Four Games

MIDLAND, Mich. – Entering Saturday’s game at Dow Diamond, the Great Lakes Loons had been held to no fewer than two hits this season, last mustering only one hit in May of 2021.

After Wednesday’s contest with the Lake County Captains, the Loons have now been held to just one hit for the second time in four games.

The Captains, battling for the second-half playoff spot in the Midwest League Eastern division, got one step closer with a dominant pitching performance Wednesday, defeating Great Lakes, 2-0.

Lake County (71-49, 36-18 second half) led from the first inning until the final out, taking the lead on the third batter of the game. After a walk and a strikeout-wild pitch put two men aboard, Alexfri Planez drove in one with an RBI single against Loons lefty Jeff Belge (L, 3-3).

The Loons (73-49, 33-23) would threaten in the first inning, thanks to a two-out single from Jorbit Vivas and a walk, but came up empty in the frame.

For the Captains, High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, that would be the worst frame tossed by their starting southpaw Rodney Boone (W, 5-4). The left-hander tossed six innings and did not allow another hit or walk after the first, striking out eight Loons along the way.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, had a similarly good appearance from their tandem starter Carlos Duran. The righty spun five frames and allowed four hits and two walks, striking out six while ceding just one run. That run came thanks to an RBI triple from Aaron Bracho in the sixth, the only extra-base hit in the game.

Ryan Sublette allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning for Great Lakes, striking out two. Aldry Acosta spun the final two frames, allowing just one hit while picking up a strikeout.

Lake County saw two innings of scoreless baseball from Jaime Arias, walking one and striking out four. Trey Burton (SV, 8) walked one and struck out one in his ninth inning.

The Captains now hold a three-game lead on second-place West Michigan for the last playoff spot in the MWL Eastern division, with just 10 games to play in the regular season. Whichever of West Michigan or Lake County claims the playoff spot will take on Great Lakes in the first round.

Great Lakes now trails in this six-game set, two games to none, and find themselves behind 11-9 in the season series. Game three of the set is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Thursday at Dow Diamond. Adolfo Ramirez (0-0, 3.86 ERA) makes his first start in Great Lakes uniform, opposing fellow righty Tommy Mace (1-5, 4.65 ERA) for Lake County. ESPN 100.9-FM pregame coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland.

At Dow Diamond, it’s the last chance of the regular season to experience a Thirsty Thursday, presented by J.P. O’Sullivan Distributing. There’s 50% off draft beer all night long, plus a tap takeover in the Cove Bar by a featured Michigan craft brewery. Also in the Cove Bar is live bar trivia for one final time this year. It’s also a College Night – tickets are still available at Loons.com.

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.