Loons let close game slip away in the 9th inning

The Great Lakes Loons dropped a 7-3 contest to the Bowling Green Hot Rods at the Dow Diamond on a sunny Saturday afternoon.   However it was chilly at the Dow with a steady breeze during the entire game.   The Loons would go without a hit until the 6th inning with Henry Centeno pitching a perfect game for the Bowling Green Hot Rods a Tampa Bay Rays affiliate.

The Loons trailing 3-0 would get on the scoreboard and knot the game up 3-3 going into the top of the 9th.   The brave 1,482 fans at the Dow Diamond were getting excited about a possible win in store.   Those hopes were quickly dashed when the Hot Rods lead off the 9th with a hit, 3 walks, a passed ball and then a two run single to start the cave-in.   When it was all said and done the Loons trailed 7-3 going into the bottom of the ninth.    They would go quietly 1,2, 3 to end the game and drop to 6-8 on the start of the 2016 campaign.  

Manager Gil Velazquez made some changes in the line-up to get some players more experience by moving Matt Jones to 3rd base and Nick Dean over to 1st base.   The Loons have only one true 1st baseman on the roster.   The Hot Rods quickly took advantage of this and laid down a couple of perfect bunts down the 3rd baseline.   

Great Lakes will finish out this 7 game home stand with an afternoon game today at 2:05 and then hit the road for a six game road trip against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Beloit Snappers.     Great Lakes features two of the youngest players in the Midwest League this season with two 18 year olds starting on a regular basis.   Omar Estevez and Brendon Davis have impressed this writer with their skills early on this year.