Loons Launch Three Home Runs, Land 5-2 Win

Fort Wayne, Ind. – The Great Lakes Loons (61-36) (16-16) parked three solo home runs at Parkview Field, beating the Fort Wayne TinCaps (50-48) (18-14) 5-2 on a 81-degree partly cloudy Wednesday evening in Fort Wayne.

Taylor Young started the game, blasting a leadoff homer to deep left-center field. Young has two home runs in the last four games and a 23-game on-base streak.

In the seventh, Great Lakes broke a 1-1 tie, plating three runs. Alex Freeland took Eric Yost deep in Yost’s minor-league debut, a towering fly to right field. Yeiner Fernandez and Damon Keith singled back-to-back, and with one out, a Griffin Lockwood Powell seven-pitch walk loaded the bases. Chris Alleyne next grounded a 1-0 pitch that was misplayed at first base, to make it 3-1.

A Jake Vogel sacrifice fly scored Keith increasing the lead to 4-1. In the top of the ninth, Griffin Lockwood-Powell skied a ball to the home run porch in deep left field, padding the Great Lakes advantage to 5-2.

Ronan Kopp went three innings working around four walks, his most in a start since April 30th against Fort Wayne. The Dodgers No.15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, struck out two, induced a double play, and picked off Jakob Marsee in the first inning.

The TinCaps had just one hit through the first five innings. They knocked two hits in the sixth and seventh inning, scoring two but stranding two. Adolfo Ramirez allowed a double and single to begin the sixth but retired the next three. A run scored on a Nathan Martorella groundout.

Kai Murphy mashed a two-out double in the seventh, Kervin Pichardo singled, and an error at shortstop brought Fort Wayne within two. Ramirez responded punching out his third TinCap to end the seventh.

Michael Hobbs collected the final six outs, earning his fourth save in his 33rd appearance. The right-hander struck out three Fort Wayne batters; the Loons punched out 10 overall.

Game three of the series is tomorrow Thursday, August 3rd. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. The Dodgers No. 13 prospect Maddux Bruns starts for Great Lakes.

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.