Jul. 8—Great Lakes starting pitcher Zach Root struck out 11 and did not allow a runner past first base over six scoreless innings as the Loons defeated the Dayton Dragons 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Neither team could score over the first half of the game as Dragons starting pitcher Ovis Portes worked out of trouble in each of the first four innings. The game was scoreless going to the bottom of the fifth when Portes issued a lead-off walk followed by a run-scoring double by Logan Wagner to give Great Lakes a 1-0 lead.
Portes was replaced by Beau Blanchard, who surrendered an RBI double to Emil Morales, the first man he faced, as the Loons jumped ahead 2-0. After a pair of walks, the Loons added another run on a sacrifice fly to make it a three-run inning. In the sixth, Blanchard surrendered a lead-off home run to Chuck Davalan as Great Lakes increased their lead to 4-0.
Going to the eighth inning, the Dragons had only two hits and had not advanced a runner to second base. Alfredo Alcantara ripped a lead-off double to left-center field to start that inning and with one out, Victor Acosta worked a walk. Peyton Stovall then lined a triple down the right field line as the baseball lodged beneath the Loons bullpen bench, bringing in both Alcantara and Acosta to cut the Loons lead to 4-2. But the next two batters, Ryan McCrystal and Julio Carreras, both tapped out in front of the plate and Stovall was stranded at third.
The Dragons came to bat in the ninth inning still down by two runs and got the tying run to the plate with one out when John Michael Faile drew a walk. Tyson Lewis struck out for the second out. Alcantara then lined a single to center to move Faile to second, but Marcus Smith struck out swinging to end the game.
The Dragons finished with only five hits. Stovall had two hits including a triple and drove in two runs. Alcantara had a double, single, and walk. Faile had a single for the other hit.
Portes was charged with the loss despite a credible effort. He left the game in the fifth inning trailing 1-0, but was eventually charged with two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in four innings of work.
The game was the opener to a six-game series in Midland.
