Loons Survive Captains’ Late-Game Rally in 3-1 Defeat

EASTLAKE, Ohio – In the third game of a scheduled six-game series, the Lake County Captains (10-8) fell to the Great Lakes Loons (10-8) by a final score of 3-1 on Thursday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

After scoring just one run through the game’s first eight innings, the Captains put two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth.

With one out in the home half of the ninth, 1B Maick Collado reached base on an infield single. In the ensuing at-bat, 2B Juan Benjamin won a 10-pitch battle against Loons RHP Livan Reinoso (SV) with a single to center field. The Captains pair then advanced to third and second, respectively, after Reinoso committed a disengagement violation, putting a pair in scoring position with the winning run at the plate.

However, Lake County SS Jose Devers struck out looking for the second out in the bottom of the ninth. Finally, on the ensuing pitch, RF Esteban González popped out to Loons C Nelson Quiroz in foul territory to end the game.

Great Lakes tallied the game’s first three runs on just two hits through their first six innings at the plate.

The Loons loaded the bases on a Lake County fielding error and a pair of walks from Captains LHP Jackson Humphries (0-2), MLB Pipeline’s No. 17 Cleveland prospect. A wild pitch from the Lake County left-hander put Great Lakes on the board first. The Loons tacked on another in the following frame when SS Jordan Thompson recorded a sacrifice fly, which put the visitors ahead 2-0.

Humphries suffered his second loss of the season, allowing just one hit, two runs (one earned), and a season-high walks, while not throwing a strikeout in four innings of work.

Great Lakes scored its final run of the night when 1B Joe Vetrano hit a two-out RBI double in the top of the sixth inning against Captains RHP Kyle Scott. The Lake County right-hander pitched two innings of relief, allowing just one hit, one earned run, and one walk, while throwing three strikeouts.

Loons RHP Patrick Copen (1-1) earned his first win of the year with seven strikeouts in 5.2 scoreless innings of work, allowing four hits and three walks.

The Captains scored their only run of the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. C Johnny Tincher hit a ground ball to Thompson, but an ensuing throwing error pulled Vetrano off the first base bag to score González for Lake County.

The fourth game of this week’s scheduled six-game set between the Captains and Loons is scheduled for Friday night at 6:35 p.m. Lake County will host its Duck Hunt celebration at the ballpark.

The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live app and MiLB.com, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

Notes to Know

- C Johnny Tincher went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles on Thursday night. The 2023 11^th-round pick out of Washington is now batting .360 with nine hits and six RBI in his first eight games this season.

- LHP Adam Tulloch threw five strikeouts in three innings of scoreless relief on Thursday night. The 2022 15^th-round pick out of Arizona State has now thrown a combined 11 strikeouts over his last two appearances out of the Lake County bullpen.

- INF Jose Devers extended his hitting streak to six games with an infield single on Thursday night. The 21-year-old leads the Midwest League in: doubles (eight), extra-base hits (13), total bases (42), and home runs (five, tied).

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.