MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Loons Sink Captains on Memorial Day

Published on May 28, 2018 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


EASTLAKE, Ohio - On a warm Memorial Day afternoon at Classic Park, the Loons generated their best offensive performance of the season in a 14-5 win over the Lake County Captains.

The Loons return home from a 12-game road trip with their first three-game win streak of the season. After Lake County hit a walk-off home run to win the series opener on Friday, the Loons won the final three game convincingly by at least four runs in all three victories.

With 14 runs on 16 hits, the Loons set season highs in runs, hits and runs in an inning thanks to a six-run ninth that turned the game into a laugher.

The Loons led 1-0 through five innings, but pulled away from Lake County for the first time with a four-run sixth against lefty starter Kirk McCarty. Carlos Rincon hit his first home run since May 7 in the frame, a three-run shot to left to give the Loons a 4-0 lead. Mitchell Hansen followed suit with a pull-side shot to right that stretched the lead to 5-0. Hansen finished the day with three hits and two RBI, while Rincon finished a triple shy of the cycle with five RBI and two runs scored.

The game took an unexpected turn in the bottom of the sixth as Lake County scored five runs to tie the game. Riley Ottesen began the inning after right-hander Alfredo Tavarez began the inning and threw five no-hit innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Ottesen was pulled from the game with an undisclosed injury after the fifth-round pick faced four batters without procuring an out. The 23-year-old walked two batters, threw two wild pitches and left with the score 5-2 Loons.

With virtually no time to warm up in the bullpen, southpaw Austin Hamilton entered and allowed a three-run home run to Nolan Jones that tied the game. There were still no outs in the inning at that point. Lake County singled twice more in the inning off Hamilton but failed to take the lead when Jose Vicente grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

The Loons bounced back quickly and untied the game in the top of the seventh on an RBI single to short by Brandon Montgomery to score Moises Perez and give the Loons the lead for good at 6-5. Perez reached to begin the frame when he was hit by Riley Echols, then advanced to second on a wild pitch and aggressively moved to third on a flyout to left.

With a 7-5 lead re-established at the seventh-inning stretch, Hamilton (W, 2-0) and Dan Jagiello (S, 2) closed out Lake County down the stretch while the offense pulled away. The Captains scored five runs on five hits all in the sixth inning.

After a 5-7 road trip, the Loons return to Dow Diamond to begin a six-game homestand on Tuesday night against the South Bend Cubs at 7:05 p.m. EDT.

The Great Lakes Loons have been the Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team's home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.

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Midwest League Stories from May 28, 2018


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