Loons Outpaced by Hot Rods

Duke von Schamann twirls career-high seven strikeouts

MIDLAND, MI – Three runs in ninth inning by the visiting Bowling Green Hot Rods (32-20, 70-52) put the game out of reach for the Great Lakes Loons (23-29, 57-65), who lost 6-2 Thursday night at Dow Diamond in front of 4,921 Loons fans.

Loons reliever Jose Dominguez allowed the Hot Rods final three runs, walking the first three batters in the inning. A wild pitch moved leadoff runner Taylor Potter to third and he scored on an error by Loons catcher Michael Pericht, who tried to prevent Taylor Motter from stealing second. Motter advanced to third on the error and scored on Pericht’s passed ball. The final run crossed home plate on a bases-loaded sac-fly.

The Loons out-hit the Hot Rods 8-7, but only scored on two swings of the bat from right-fielder Joe Winker. The first run came in the fourth on his sac-fly, scoring Darnell Sweeney who tripled to lead off the inning. Winker smashed a solo home run in the eighth, estimated at 450 feet to right field, off of the Hot Rods Andrew Bellatti.

“I was down 1-2 in the count and I thought they might try and go fastball up [again], so I was looking for it in the zone,” Winker said of the at-bat. “I got a fastball, I hit it and it happened to go out.”

The bomb pulled the Loons to within one run, but the Hot Rods revved up in the ninth and Winker did not bat again.

Starting pitcher Duke von Schamann allowed three runs, two earned, in six innings of work. The Hot Rods first run came in the third on Pericht’s throwing error to second base. In the fifth, Bowling Green’s Cameron Seitzer touched von Schamann for a leadoff home run to centerfield. In the fifth, the Hot Rods found two hits off von Schamann to score Ryan Brett. Despite a career-high seven strikeouts, von Schamann was charged with the loss, his fourth of the year.

The Loons had a great scoring opportunity in the seventh inning, with Scott Schebler and Jesse Bosnik on second and third with no outs, but three consecutive outs negated the chance. The Loons struck out 11 times and drew no walks.

The Loons will wrap their six-game homestand on Friday, hoping to avoid the series sweep. Starting for the Loons will be RHP Arismendy Ozoria (8-6, 4.47) against the Hot Rods RHP Jake Floethe (10-3, 3.06). Joining in on the fun will be the inflatable friends known as the Zooperstars! presented by Charter. The game will be followed by a Fireworks Loontacular powered by Dow Corning.