Great Lakes drops three of four in series after 8-3 setback
MIDLAND -- The Great Lakes Loons were on the losing end Monday night, as the South Bend Silver Hawks put up eight runs to the Loons' three, to win the four-game series, 3-1.
The South Bend Silver Hawks scored at least one run in each of the first four innings. Matt Helm’s single to right field scored a run in the first; Raywilly Gomez had a solo-home run in the second; Helm again singled to score a pair of runs in the third and a wild pitch from Loons starter Derek Cone allowed another Silver Hawk to cross the plate that inning.
Cone left the game after pitching three innings, in which he allowed five runs on six hits, walking four and striking out one. Cone was relieved by right-hander Angel Sanchez, who made his Midwest League debut with the Loons trailing 5-0. Facing his first batter, Sanchez was hit for a bunt single and allowed the batter, Chris Jarrett, to advance to second on a throwing error. Jarrett scored on a single by Ender Inciarte. A passed ball later in the inning put the S-Hawks up 7-0. Loons pitchers surrendered six walks on the night, making it a combined 13 over the last two nights.
“As they say in baseball, ‘there’s not a defense for the base on balls’ and our pitching for the first 42 games has really been our strength and our defense,” Loons manager John Shoemaker said. “But the last couple of days we’ve just ran into a little storm pitching wise. We haven’t been getting the ball over the plate enough and when we have they’ve been hitting it.”
The Loons were able to pull to within five runs in the bottom of the fourth when designated hitter Chris Jacobs hit a double up the third-base line into left field to score two runners. Roman Pena gave the Loons another run in the sixth on a solo home run, his second in two days.
Sanchez allowed one more run to South Bend, a homer, before settling in to fan nine Silver Hawks and walk only two. He struck out seven of his last eight batters faced. The righty was charged with three runs on four hits over five innings of relief work. Andrew Pevsner pitched one scoreless frame in the ninth with a strikeout and no walks.
The Loons begin a new three-game series with the Dayton Dragons Tuesday at Dow Diamond and the home team will be wearing Dodger blue as they celebrate the second Dodgers Route of Champions Night, featuring a special guest appearance from Dodger great Ramon Martinez. Loons LHP Ryan Christenson (5-1, 3.27) will head to the mound against the Dragons RHP David Tuttle (3-1, 4.50). Fans attending the game will receive a 2011 Loons team photo, presented by ESPN 100.9-FM.
The Great Lakes Loons are a fifth-year Single-A partner 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.
