Loons pitchers wild in defeat

Loons pitchers surrendered a season-high 13 runs and 12 walks Tuesday night en route to a13-2 shellacking at the hands of the South Bend Silverhawks.

With the score 2-1 in favor of South Bend in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Silverhawks sent 15 batters to the plate, scored nine runs on four hits, one error, seven walks and one hit batsman. South Bend scored the final five runs of the fifth inning on bases loaded walks or hit batsmen.

Kyle Smit (1-4) started for the Loons and walked five batters and was tagged with the loss. Matt Sartor relieved Smit with no outs in the fifth. Sartor surrendered a couple of hits and four walks before giving way to Jon Dutton. Dutton walked two and hit a batter in the inning, then later recorded another walk and another hit batsman.

Travis Vetters pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Loons, becoming the Loons’ first position player to pitch in a game this season.

Erik Kanaby and Pedro Baez drove in the Loons’ two runs. Kanaby and Joe Becker had two hits each. Alex Garabedian doubled down the left field line in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

Midwest League all-star Bryan Augenstein (5-1) allowed a run in six innings, striking out four for the win.

The Loons continue the series in South Bend against the Silverhawks Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Steven Johnson (7-2) will start for the Loons.

The Loons return to action at Dow Diamond on Friday for the start of a three-game series against Lansing.