MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Burlington Bests Loons with Sac Fly in Ninth

Published on April 12, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


BURLINGTON, IA - Wilson Tucker lifted a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Alwin Perez and give the Burlington Bees a 3-2 victory over the Great Lakes Loons Saturday afternoon at Community Field.

The game began as a pitcher's duel between Steven Johnson and Alex Caldera. Johnson allowed one hit through five scoreless innings, facing just one over the minimum. Caldera also allowed one hit through five scoreless innings, and he retired the final 14 Loons hitters he faced.

"I threw a lot of strikes today and threw my changeup well," Johnson said after the game. "Last year, I threw the changeup a lot late in the season, but for whatever reason I didn't throw it much in the first game. So I wanted to throw it more today, and they have a lot of lefties so it worked out well."

The Bees broke a scoreless tie in the sixth off reliever Geison Aguasviva. Antonio Jimenez singled, stole second and scored on an errant throw by catcher Kenley Jansen. Perez later singled to score Todd Balduf to make the score 2-0 Burlington.

The Loons tied the score with a pair of runs in the eighth. Joe Becker led off the inning with a double. Jovanny Rosario followed with a walk, and Erik Kanaby sacrificed the runners to second and third. Brian Matthews followed with a single to deep shortstop to score Becker. Rosario then scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Lambo.

The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With Bobby Blevins (0-1) on the mound for the Loons, Perez blooped a single over the head of third baseman Pedro Baez. David Lough followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt, but Blevins' throw to second was too late to retire Perez. Jason Taylor bunted Perez and Lough over to second and third. The Loons opted to intentionally walk Clint Robinson to face Tucker.

Tucker then lifted a sacrifice fly to medium depth right field down the line. Scott Van Slyke made the catch straddling the line and fired a two-hop throw to the plate that was a split-second tardy.

Both teams are now 4-5. The Loons have lost three straight.

The Loons and Bees continue their series Sunday afternoon beginning at 3pm ET. The Loons will send right-hander Daigoro Rondon (1-1) to the mound. The game will be carried in Mid-Michigan on ESPN 100.9-FM (WLUN) and online at Loons.com.

The Great Lakes Loons are the second-year Single-A affiliate 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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Midwest League Stories from April 12, 2008


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