Loons Comeback to Beat Lansing, 4-3
May 11, 2011 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release
MIDLAND, MI - After losing the lead in the seventh inning, the Great Lakes Loons rallied in the eighth to one-up the Lansing Lugnuts Wednesday night by a score of 4-3, moving them into first place of the Midwest League's Eastern Division.
Down one run in the bottom of the eighth, Loons first baseman Blake Dean hit the ball deep to right field, barely missing home run territory and instead giving him a lead-off triple. He was scored by Nick Akins, who tripled behind him, tying the game at 3-3.
"Blake hammered his ball and I thought it was going to get out, but it hit off the wall," Akins said of Dean's triple. "He did well not to slow up, thinking he got [the home run], but ran hard the whole way and was able to get a triple. As for myself, I thought I was going to have just a double, but I saw [Jake] Marisnick kind of trip out there and the ball kicked off to the right, so I decided to test it. It might not have been the best thing, but fortunately we got a bobble by the shortstop and I was able to get in safely."
Batting after Akins was designated hitter Bobby Coyle, who slapped a single into centerfield to score Akins for the game-winning run.
Before the Loons could celebrate, Shawn Tolleson was called on to do what he has done well this entire season: save games. Tolleson gave up a rare lead-off double to begin the inning, but his following two plays quickly erased any scare. With still no outs, Oliver Dominguez popped up a bunt that Tolleson caught for a dramatic diving out and then he hurled it to second to turn a double-play, beating out Lansing's pinch runner Markus Brister who was racing back to tag up.
"I saw [the batter] square around to bunt before I threw the ball, so I was going to try and get off the mound as fast as I could just to try and make a play at third and get that lead runner out," Tolleson said. "And he popped it up, so I just tried to make a play on it."
Tolleson needed only three pitches to down the final batter, Bryson Namba, his 33rd strikeout victim of the year. Tolleson picked up his league-leading tenth save in as many opportunities and still has a perfect ERA (0.00) in 15 innings pitched.
Right-hander Tim Sexton started on the mound for the Loons and pitched a solid game, fanning seven Lugnuts in six innings while limiting the team to one run on five hits. Sexton was in line for the win, but Lansing captured the lead late to allow Loons reliever Logan Bawcom the win, his third.
The Loons scored first on a Bryant Hernandez single in the third inning. The Lugnuts leveled the game in the top of the sixth with a sacrifice fly, but the Loons pulled back ahead in the same inning on an RBI-single from Akins. Lansing took their first lead of the game in the seventh, scoring a pair of runs against Bawcom.
The Loons will play the rubber match of the series against Lansing Thursday at 10:35 p.m. for School Kids Day. Getting the start for the Loons will be RHP Ryan Christenson (3-1, 3.77) against the Lugnuts RHP Drew Hutchinson (1-0, 3.60).
The Great Lakes Loons are a fifth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League. For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.
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