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 Great Lakes Loons

Paz Wins It with Walk Off

April 23, 2017 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - Entering play on Sunday, Luis Paz was 3-for-49 (.061) at the plate to begin the 2017 season. The young Brazilian emphatically matched his season total capping off a 3-for-4 performance with a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Great Lakes Loons a 5-4 victory over Fort Wayne TinCaps at Dow Diamond.

It was the first walk-off home run for the Loons since July 8, 2014 against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Eerily enough, the final score that day was also 5-4. And not to mention, the player who hit it for Great Lakes back in 2014 was Webster Rivas, who also played in Sunday's game on the opposite side for Fort Wayne.

After the TinCaps jumped out to an early lead, it was the Loons who took it right back in the bottom of the 2nd inning against Fort Wayne starter Will Headean. Catcher Keibert Ruiz doubled to begin the inning, then it was back-to-back singles from Gage Green and Paz that brought him around to score. Thanks to a throwing error with one out, Green scurried home make it 2-1.

Headean labored through six innings allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. The righty mixed in a pair of walks while striking out five. Before Headean exited, he did serve up the 6th home run of the season to Loons outfielder Carlos Rincon, who now leads the Midwest League in that category.

However, the TinCaps did get to Great Lakes starter Leo Crawford early forcing his departure in the 5th inning. The 20-year-old lefty allowed four runs on five hits over 4.2 innings, including home runs to G.K. Young and Rod Boykin.

Fort Wayne added two runs in the 4th and another in the 5th before Rincon's long ball tied the game in the bottom half of the 5th inning. That is where we would sit until the late-inning heroics.

Rincon and Ruiz each had multi-hit games for the Loons and drove in a run. But it was Paz's day that saw him break out of a 16-game hitting slump.

It's a series split for Fort Wayne and Great Lakes as the Loons will now welcome the Lake County Captains to Mid-Michigan and begin a three-game series on Monday. Right-hander Dustin May (0-0, 3.97 ERA) is set to start for the Loons.

The 2016 Midwest League Champions and hosts of the 2017 MWL All-Star Game presented by GoGreat.com have been a Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. For tickets and more information about the Great Lakes Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.


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