Busy 6th inning helps give Great Lakes 7-6 victory
COMSTOCK PARK, MI -- Despite facing a West Michigan Whitecaps team featuring one ninth-year big leaguer, the Great Lakes Loons held on to win 7-6 Tuesday night at Fifth Third Ballpark, improving their season record to 72-34.
Making his Great Lakes Loons debut on the mound was left-handed pitcher Greg Wilborn. His first pitch as a Midwest Leaguer went for a double to centerfield, hit by leadoff Whitecap Michael Rockett. Wilborn grounded his next batter into an out, and then saddled up for his first of three battles against the rehabbing Detroit Tiger, Brandon Inge.
Inge worked Wilborn to a full count, before the major leaguer gave the 6,075 Whitecaps fans in attendance something to cheer for: a double to the warning track in centerfield to score the Whitecaps first run. Wilborn struck out the next two to end the inning.
The Loons leveled the game in the top of the third, when designated hitter Brian Cavazos-Galvez belted a double to the wall in left-center field to score Nick Buss, who reached on a bunt-single. The run went unearned due to a fielding error by West Michigan first baseman Clay Jones, who dropped a foul ball pop-up that would have ended the inning.
The Whitecaps responded in the bottom of the frame, using their major league third baseman to move Rockett into scoring position on a double to right-field wall. Wade Gaynor followed up with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Rockett for the 2-1 lead.
After once again tying the game in the fifth on Angelo Songco’s RBI groundout, the Loons strung together five hits in the next inning to score four runs. With the bases loaded, Bryant Hernandez hit a broken-bat single to left to score Jaime Ortiz for the first run of the inning. Third baseman Brian Ruggiano tried to score on the play, but didn’t have a chance as Whitecaps catcher Rob Brantley stood waiting for him at the plate for the second out. Buss used the next at-bat to hit a bases-clearing triple for two and scored himself on a Songco single to put the Loons ahead 6-2, a lead that proved to be too much for West Michigan, despite scoring four more runs.
Wilborn picked up the win, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits over 5.2 innings. The southpaw fanned six Whitecaps, including Inge, and walked two. Steve Smith and Steven Ames came in to pitch the final 3.1 innings of relief, combining to allow two runs on three hits. Ames notched his 10th save of the year. Taking the loss was W-Caps middle reliever Kevan Hess.
Catcher J.T. Wise tied a Loons franchise record in the fourth inning, finding a hit for his seventh consecutive at-bat. Former-Loon infielder Adolfo Gonzalez recorded his seven hits in seven at-bats in 2007 for the Loons on 5/19-5/22. Wise hit a hard lineout to left field to end his streak in the sixth.
The Loons play their second of four games against the West Michigan Whitecaps on Wednesday, and will send LHP Ryan Christenson (0-0, 4.91) to face the Whitecaps RHP Trevor Feeney (8-10, 3.31). The Loons will return to Dow Diamond on Saturday, August 7.
