Three Longballs Lead Loons over Lake County

DeLuca has his second two-homer game; Rios hits his first Great Lakes blast

By Noah Wolf

May 10, 2022

In the Tuesday midday contest at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, the Great Lakes Loons only mustered six hits. Good thing three of them left the yard. The Loons used the longball to topple the Lake County Captains, 4-1, winning their sixth-straight contest. Good thing, too, that the Loons pitchers

In the Tuesday midday contest at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, the Great Lakes Loons only mustered six hits.

Good thing three of them left the yard.

The Loons used the longball to topple the Lake County Captains, 4-1, winning their sixth-straight contest.

Good thing, too, that the Loons pitchers only allowed three hits over the game. It started with brilliance from right-hander Nick Nastrini, who tossed four no-hit innings, allowing just one baserunner on a walk while striking out seven Captains.

Great Lakes (16-12) got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Aldrich De Jongh and Kekai Rios led off the frame with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with no outs. Captains righty starter Tanner Bibee would strike out the next three batters, but tossed a wild pitch in one at-bat that allowed De Jongh to score. Other than that, Bibee was spectacular, striking out 10 batters in five frames and allowing just three hits. His lone run was earned, and he walked no batters.

The Captains (12-14) would even the score in the fifth inning. Nastrini was replaced by Robbie Peto (W, 1-0), who made his Loons and High-A debut in the contest. Peto got the first out in the fifth, but then surrendered a home run to Raynel Delgado to tie the game at one.

The game didn’t stay tied for long. Jonny Deluca led off the very next half-inning, the top of the sixth, with his eighth home run of the season to put the Loons ahead, 2-1. The visitors would never trail again. That towering blast beyond the left-field bleachers was the lone hit allowed by left-handed reliever Randy Labaut (L, 2-1), who tossed two innings and picked up two strikeouts.

After the fifth, Peto was solid, and the offense backed him up to allow him to get the win. In his debut, the right-hander went 3 2-3 innings, allowed three hits and a walk and one earned run while notching three punchouts.

The Loons, High-A partners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, got an insurance run in each of the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, it was DeLuca again, leaving the yard on a lined shot to left for his ninth blast of the year. DeLuca entered the day tied for third in the Midwest League in home runs, and now stands tied for first. In the next frame, Rios hit a solo home run as well, his first jack of the year, to put the Loons up by the final score of 4-1.

Lake County, affiliate of the neighboring Cleveland Guardians, used three pitchers after Bibee left the game. All of them allowed one hit, and that one hit was always a solo homer. The Captains spun a walk-free game on the mound, and both teams played errorless defense.

With two outs in the eighth inning and a man on first, the Loons gave the ball to Jose Hernandez (SV, 5). He stranded the inherited runner and tossed a perfect 1 1-3 inning, striking out two. Hernandez this season is now perfect in save opportunities (5-for-5) and in stranding runners – none of the five baserunners he has inherited have scored. He extends his scoreless streak to 11 1-3 innings, having surrendered no runs in his last eight appearances. The Loons have won the last seven games in which he has appeared. The southpaw is now tied with three other Midwest League pitchers for most saves on the year.

The Loons take an early 1-0 lead in this six-game set, and lead the season series over the Captains, 4-3, with the teams facing off an eventual 24 times this year. Game two of the set is Wednesday evening from Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Aaron Davenport (0-2, 2.63 ERA) gets the start for Lake County, squaring off with Loons lefty Lael Lockhart (1-0, 1.06 ERA). Join Brad Tunney for coverage on ESPN 100.9-FM, beginning 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.