Stolen base leads to Loons win

Erik Kanaby’s steal of second in the top of the ninth inning led to a wild throw and Kanaby scoring to break a 7-7 tie and propel the Great Lakes Loons to an 8-7 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Wednesday night.

The game took an unexpected turn in the Loons half of the sixth when after the first two hitters were retired, Great Lakes loaded the bases against Kernels starter Jordan Walden, forcing him from the game. It was at that moment that Cedar Rapids first-year manager Keith Johnson had realized he made a huge mistake. The Kernels skipper accidently left the reliever he was bringing in, Esmerlin Jimenez (who was added to the roster before the game) off his official lineup card, making him ineligible to pitch in the ballgame.

With that, Cedar Rapids decided to bring in a position player to pitch to Jamie Ortiz with the bases full, shortstop Jerry Gonzalez. The infielder proceeded to walk Ortiz on four straight pitches to force in a run making it 6-4. The following batter, Jovanny Rosario laced an 0-2 pitch down the right field line for a bases-clearing triple to give the Loons a 7-6 lead.

The Kernels tied the game at seven in the seventh inning thanks to an Anel De Los Santos sacrifice fly to score Clayton Fuller knotting things up.

In the top of the ninth, Erik Kanaby reached base with a two-out single and came around to score after stealing second base and the throw skidding into centerfield. Errors by Kernels catcher De Los Santos and centerfielder Fuller who bobbled the ball in the outfield allowed Kanaby to come around to score and give the Loons an 8-7 advantage, a lead they would not relinquish.

“I saw the centerfielder trying to catch the ball, then he lobbed it to Gonzalez. As soon as I saw that, I waved Kanaby in,” Loons manager Juan Bustabad said. “We caught them by surprise. It was an aggressive play and the difference in the game.”

Rosario’s triple in the sixth extended his hitting streak to a Loons season-high 13 games.

Kyle Smit and Thomas Melgarejo pitched the first six innings combined allowing all seven Cedar Rapids runs before giving way to Bobby Blevins. Blevins (1-1) pitched a scoreless final three innings in picking up his first win of the season. The right-hander’s evening on the mound was highlighted with a diving catch in the ninth off a Kernels bunt attempt that turned into a double play.

The Loons open a six-game home stand Friday night against the Peoria Chiefs, managed by former Chicago Cubs great and Hall-of-Famer Ryne Sandberg. Right-hander Steven Johnson will start for the Loons. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Friday marks the Loons’ first poster giveaway of 2008 as the first 5,000 fans will receive a Loons team schedule poster.