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Great Lakes Loons

Rosa's Late Home Run Too Much

August 1, 2018 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - Dylan Rosa's home run in the top of the eighth inning proved to be the deciding factor as the West Michigan Whitecaps defeated the Great Lakes Loons 4-2 on Wednesday night at Dow Diamond.

The Loons (14-25) were the first team to push across a run as Drew Avans scored Deacon Liput on a sacrifice fly. The run gave Great Lakes a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Instead of waiting around, the Whitecaps (19-19) wasted no time tying the game. The top of the second featured an RBI single from Christopher Proctor, scoring Colby Bortles from third base.

While Loons starter Jeronimo Castro was able to survive the first inning, he could not get out of the second. After loading the bases with two outs, Castro was pulled by manager John Shoemaker. The right-hander was replaced by reliever Stephen Kolek, who induced an inning-ending groundout.

Putting a run across in the first, Great Lakes' next opportunity to score was in the bottom of the seventh against Whitecaps reliever Johan Belisario. The bases were loaded as Gersel Pitre, Chris Roller and Josh McLain were all given a free pass with one out. However, Liput and Avans were retired in back-to-back at-bats, as Belisario got out of the jam.

Melvin Jimenez took the hill for the Loons after Kolek went 2.1 scoreless innings. Jimenez (L, 2-7) was on cruise control until the top of the eighth inning, which is when he allowed a two-run homer to Rosa. The right-handed reliever allowed two runs on one hit with four strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.

West Michigan starter Elvin Rodriguez set the tone for pitching success, throwing 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts. He gave up one run on six hits and three walks. The last time Rodriguez allowed one run or less was June 22 against the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

The eighth, pitched by Belisario (W, 1-0), was nearly a train wreck. Brock Carpenter and Devin Mann advanced to second and third, respectively, on a passed ball by Proctor. Then, a Romer Cuadrado single drove in Mann to trim the Whitecaps lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the frame.

Endrys Briceno (SV, 1) retired the Loons in order during the ninth inning, securing a victory at Dow Diamond for the Whitecaps.

West Michigan second baseman Kody Clemens, son of seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens, went 2-for-3 with two walks. The Loons got either a hit or walk from all nine position players in the loss.

The Loons and Whitecaps return for game two of the three-game series on Thursday for $1 Family Feast Night at the ballpark.

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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