Impressive bullpen helps Loons steal series with 5-3 road victory over Bowling Green Hot Rods

 

After winning the series opener and dropping game-2 yesterday, the Great Lakes Loons (35-67) took the series with a 5-3 victory over the Midwest League's top team, the (67-36) Bowling Green Hot Rods (Houston Astros) in front of 2,912 at Bowling Green Ballpark in Bowling Green, KY tonight.

 

The Hot Rods struck first in the opening inning when DH Carl Chester drove in Bowling Green second baseman Vidal Brujan with an RBI-single, before Chester was driven in on a 2-run home run off the bat of Hot Rods' catcher Ronaldo Hernandez (16) who roped his league-leading sixteenth HR to give Bowling Green a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

 

Great Lakes answered with a run in the second when Loons DH Luke Heyer was hit by a pitch, before eventually scoring on an RBI-double by Loons catcher Hunter Feduccia, cutting the Bowling Green lead to 3-1 in the top of the second inning.

 

The Loons would take the lead for good following a 4-run third inning when CF Josh McLain led off the inning with a single, which was followed by a 2-run home run off the bat of Loons shortstop Brandon Montgomery (9) who crushed his ninth HR of the year, before second baseman Devin Mann followed Montgomery with a single, then scored on a Bowling Green throwing error, while first baseman Brock Carpenter managed to drive in Loons RF Carlos Rincon (who had reached on a walk) with an RBI-single for a 5-3 Great Lakes lead in the top of the third inning.

 

Loons starter Jeronimo Castro (1-2, 5.52 ERA) earned his first MWL win after giving up just 3-runs on 5-hits and 2-walks, while striking out an impressive 9-batters through 5-solid innings tonight.

 

The Great Lakes bullpen was 'lights-out' and made all the difference tonight, led by right-handed reliever Stephen Kolek (an eleventh round pick of the Dodgers out of Texas A&M University in the 2018 MLB draft) who picked up his first hold of the season after allowing just 3-hits, along with 2-strikeouts through 2 1/3 innings of relief, before Loons closer Jasiel Alvino (SV,3) snagged his third save of the year, allowing just 1-hit, while closing out the final 1 2/3 innings. 

 

Bowling Green left-hand starter Resly Linares (3-3, 4.38 ERA) was tagged with his third loss of the year for the Hot Rods after giving up 5-runs on 6-hits and 2-walks, while striking out 3-batters through 3-innings tonight.

 

Mann was 3 for 4 with 1-run scored to pace the Loons offense, while Feduccia finished 2 for 3 with an RBI and 1-walk, followed by McLain, who was 2 for 5 with 1-run scored; along with Montgomery, whose ninth HR of the season accounted for 2 of the 5 Great Lakes runs tonight.

 

The Loons will finish out this road-trip and the month of July starting with the opener of a 4-game road series against the Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) at Classic Ballpark in Eastlake, OH on the outskirts of Cleveland at 7:05 pm tomorrow night.