Ninth-inning rally falls short in 9-8 setback
BELOIT, WI -- Danny Rams punctuated a six-run sixth inning with a grand slam Thursday night as Beloit snapped the Loons’ four-game winning streak with a 9-8 win.
Leading 3-2, Loons starter Matt Magill (4-2) walked the first two hitters in the sixth. After he departed, reliever Andy Suiter walked one more to load the bases with no outs. Michael Gonzales tied the game with an RBI single scoring James Beresford. Then with one out, Lance Ray grounded to third baseman Christian Lara, but instead of getting one out or even an inning-ending double play, Lara fumbled the grounder allowing a run to score and keeping the bases loaded. Rams followed with his shot to straight-away center field.
The Loons mounted a comeback in the game. Down 8-3, Nick Buss led off the eighth with a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line. Then with the count 0-2 to Angelo Songco, Buss advanced home 90 feet at a time over the course of three pitches – a passed ball and two successive wild pitches. Later in the inning J.T. Wise brought home Songco on a sac fly, then Jaime Ortiz doubled home Brian Cavazos-Galvez to pull the Loons to within two runs.
In the bottom half of the inning, Beloit extended their lead to three on a solo home run by Reggie Williams.
In the ninth, Bryant Hernandez got plunked on a 3-2 pitch and Lara reached on an infield single to bring the tying run to the plate. Reliever Jon Garcia gave way to Clint Dempster, who retired two batters before surrendering a bloop two-run double to shallow center field to Blake Smith. That put the tying run in scoring position, but Cavazos-Galvez ended the game with a ground ball to third.
The Loons scored the game’s first three runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run single by Rafael Ynoa.
Magill allowed just two hits but walked five in the loss. Kane Holbrooks (5-3) in just his second start of the season, lasted six innings and picked up the win.
Cavazos-Galvez went 2-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, tying Jerry Sands and Ynoa for the team’s longest of the season. Lara and Smith collected three hits each for the Loons.
The loss snapped the Loons four-game winning streak. The team is now 59-30 overall and have won 16 of their first 20 second half games.
The Loons continue their nine-game road trip Friday with the final game of a three game series in Beloit against the Snappers. Right-hander Rubby de la Rosa (2-1, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Loons. Miguel Munoz (6-5, 5.28), a right-hander, is slated to start for Beloit.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN 100.9-FM and online at Loons.com.
The Great Lakes Loons are a fourth-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.
