MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Loons Drop Extra-Innings Affair to Fort Wayne

August 17, 2013 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - Two runs in the top of the tenth inning were enough for the Fort Wayne TinCaps (63-60, 20-34) to hold off the Great Lakes Loons (58-66, 31-23), as the Indiana outfit won 4-3 Saturday at Dow Diamond.

Designated hitter Aaron Miller went 2-for-5 for the Loons, while outfielder Jeremy Rathjen supplied the power, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. However, the undoing for Great Lakes was their hitting with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 on base.

"Obviously, it was a tough loss," Loons manager Razor Shines said. "We feel like we let this game get away from us. With the bases loaded in the seventh and nobody out, we had our two, three and four hitters up, but popped up on the infield twice and strike out once. We could have been better situationally tonight, in all phases of the game."

Julio Urias turned in another impressive, albeit short, start for the Loons. The Mexican teenager struck out five and allowed just two hits, en route to holding Fort Wayne scoreless through the first three innings.

Great Lakes were able to get on the board first in the bottom of the third inning when second baseman Kevin Taylor hit a two-out double into the right field corner. Miller followed and roped a single to right field, which scored Taylor easily, giving the Loons a 1-0 lead.

The Loons threatened in the fourth when TinCaps starter Walker Weickel walked the bases loaded. However, Loons shortstop Brandon Trinkwon lined out to his counterpart Tyler Stubblefield and Devin Shines was doubled off at second base to end the threat.

Weickel was done after five innings, allowing one run on three hits, while walking four and striking out two.

In the top of the sixth inning, Fort Wayne broke through with two runs to take a 2-1 lead. Mallex Smith and Alberth Martinez hit a single and double, respectively, to put men on second and third. Hunter Renfroe then grounded a ball up the middle and Loons second baseman Kevin Taylor fielded it, made a wild throw to first base, bringing in both runs.

Also in the sixth, Great Lakes left fielder Robbie Garvey gunned down Renfroe as he tried to score at home, as well as Gabriel Quintana, who was trying to advance to third, picking up two outs with his eighth and ninth assists of the season.

In the bottom half of the sixth, Rathjen provided the Loons' response with his sixth home run of the season, hitting a Matthew Chabot pitch 375 feet to left field for his sixth home run of the season.

"I was doing a lot of the same stuff that I've been doing," Rathjen said. "Just looking for balls up in the zone that I can hit on the barrel. I've been working on stuff with Coach Eylward and things worked out for me tonight."

Great Lakes had a chance to take control of the game in the seventh when they loaded the bases with nobody out. However, two pop ups and a strikeout gave the Loons nothing to show for their efforts, leaving the game tied 2-2.

After both teams went scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, Fort Wayne came up in the 10th inning and took a 4-2 lead. Smith and Reynaldo Bruguera each scored, with Smith coming in on a Quintana single and Bruguera scoring on a wild pitch by Loons reliever Owen Jones (3-3). Jones took credit for the loss.

Rathjen and Tyler Ogle combined to get a run back for Great Lakes in the bottom of the tenth when Ogle doubled and Rathjen drove him in with a double of his own. But that would be all the Loons got in extra innings.

The Loons received some solid bullpen outings, including that of Rob Rogers who went two innings and posted zeros across the board, while striking out three.

"When I come in the game in that position, it's just my job to keep the score where it is and give my team a chance to win the game," Rogers said. "I just tried my best to do that and it worked out for me."

In the rest of the Eastern Division, the South Bend Silver Hawks downed the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 2-1, and the West Michigan Whitecaps were able to hold off the Dayton Dragons, 3-2. The Loons are just a half-game back of the Hot Rods and hold a 1 1/2 game lead on Dayton.

The Loons will play game two of a three-game series against Fort Wayne on Sunday. Game time is 3:05 p.m. The Dodgers' 2013 first-round pick Chris Anderson (3-0, 1.75 ERA) is expected to start for Great Lakes and Max Fried (6-5, 3.54), a 6-foot-4, 185-pound righty is slated to start for the TinCaps. Fried is the No. 1 prospect in the Padres farm system and Anderson is the No. 7 Dodgers prospect. It is a Family Fun in the SUNday at the ballpark and kids will run the bases after the game, courtesy of Farm Bureau Insurance. There will also be an appearance by Reggy: The Purple Party Dude.

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Midwest League Stories from August 17, 2013


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