MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Loons Reign in Rain; Win 6-4

Published on May 27, 2012 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, MI - The Loons proved to be the better bird in Sunday's 2 o'clock game at Dow Diamond, defeating the South Bend Silver Hawks 6-4 after a one-hour and 59-minute rain delay stalled the game in the third inning.

Everything was going well for the Loons before the delay, cashing in three runs offensively while Loons starter Arismendy Ozoria held the Silver Hawks in check through two innings, but when the rain stopped South Bend began their charge.

"We got off to a hot start and then the rain hit," Loons catcher Pratt Maynard said after the game. "We just tried to stay loose [in the delay] and tried to do everything to come back out there and play a good game. I was disappointed [that Ozoria was forced out], but I know the relievers can be just as good."

When the sun returned, the Silver Hawks scrapped together two runs on groundouts, one on a double and their final on a sac-fly from Tom Belza to capture a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning. The South Bend advantage held until the eighth, when the Loons finally shook off any water-logged bats the delay may have caused. Delvis Morales came up big with a triple up the third base line that got behind left fielder Marc Bourgeois and scored Jesse Bosnik to level the game.

Morales came home when home umpire Travis Eggerts called Silver Hawk reliever Willy Paredes on a balk to give the Loons the go-ahead run. Great Lakes added an insurance run in the inning when James Baldwin scored on a fielder's choice.

The Loons first three runs came in the second inning with two outs and two on. Maynard got things going by recording the team's first hit of the day, a single into right field to score Kevin Taylor. With runners on the corners during Morales' at-bat, a double steal scored the Loons second run. Morales snuck a single up the third base line to score Maynard.

Ozoria faced the minimum through two and started the third by giving up his only hit before the rain ended his day. The right-handed Dominican was relieved Juan Noriega. Raydel Sanchez pitched four innings en route to his first win. Yimi Garcia got his eighth save.

The win makes the Loons even with the Silver Hawks at 26-24, as they continue to fight for the final playoff spot in the Midwest League's Eastern Division with still 20 games to go. Game three of their four-game series with the S-Hawks takes place on Monday's special Memorial Day Game at 2:05 p.m. LHP Jarret Martin (2-3, 3.42 ERA) will start for the Loons against the Silver Hawks RHP Tyler Green (1-2-1, 3.04 ERA). Fans attending the game will receive 5th Anniversary-themed Loons posters courtesy of F.P. Horak.

The Great Lakes Loons are a sixth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and are in the middle of their 5th Anniversary Celebration, which kicked off in August 2011 and will continue throughout the 2012 season. For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.

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Midwest League Stories from May 27, 2012


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