MIDLAND -- Despite benefiting from an early ruling, the Great Lakes Loons dropped game one of their three-game set against the South Bend Silver Hawks 5-0 at Dow Diamond, before a crowd of 4,814 fans.

The game started on an odd note. After four pitches on a 2-2 count, South Bend’s lead-off batter Ender Inciarte knocked a weak grounder down the third base line.

In an attempt to ensure the ball was foul, catcher Steve Domecus used his catcher’s mask to scoot the ball further into foul territory.

Opposing manager Trey Haley protested the improper use of Domecus’ equipment, which was a correct concern (Rule 7.05b), which awarded Inciarte three bases.

“I really don’t know exactly what that was,” Domecus admitted of the play. “It’s one of those things that no one really goes over, you know, what happens with your mask. I know you can’t catch a pop-up with your hat or helmet or anything like that, but [the mask] is attachable equipment and if you touch it with that, it’s a three-base [award].”

Nevertheless, the Loons lucked out, because Inciarte never tagged first or second and was out 1-3 on an appeal for the first out of the game.

 While the Loons may have won that exercise of rule book one-upsmanship, they failed to win the game, scattering seven hits in the game while allowing 11 to South Bend for five runs.

Making a scheduled one-inning start for the Loons was right-handed pitcher Zach Lee, who allowed one hit and collected one strikeout before Garrett Gould stepped to the hill in the second.

He began by allowing a single to Raywilly Gomez, which was followed with a home run by Matt Helm.

The homer was the sixth allowed by Gould this year.

The Silver Hawks touched Gould again with a pair of doubles to lead-off the fifth inning, the second one scoring South Bend’s third of the night.

Gould ended the night after allowing three runs on eight hits across 3.1 innings of work, with three walks and three strikeouts. He was charged with the loss, his fifth.

Reliever Pete Budkevics put up the best numbers from the mound for the Loons, pitching for 2.2 hitless innings, escaping a one-out bases-loaded jam left by Gould.

Andrew Pevsner allowed two runs in the final two innings, one on a wild pitch and the other on a Gerson Montilla home run.

The Loons will play game two of the three-game series against the visiting South Bend Silver Hawks on Thursday. Getting the start for the Loons will be RHP Angel Sanchez (5-2, 2.70) against South Bend’s RHP Bradin Hagens (5-4, 4.18).