Silver Hawks pound Ramirez for comeback win

Miguel Ramirez took center stage in the ninth inning at Dow Diamond, but disappointed in the grand finale as the South Bend Silver Hawks rallied to beat the Great Lakes Loons Monday night by a score of 8-3.

In the first three games of this series, no team scored more than four runs in any ballgame. That trend was reversed in the top of the ninth when South Bend struck for seven runs against Ramirez.

The Loons struck first in the opening inning when Francisco Lizarraga laced an RBI single past South Bend’s Mike Mee into right field. Mee made a diving attempt at catching the baseball, but the ball broke through the laces of his glove and into right field to make it 1-0 Loons.

The Silver Hawks would come back to tie the score in the following inning when Jimmy Principe’s single drove in a run to make it a 1-1 ballgame.

The score would remain the same until the eighth, when the Loons had runners at first and second with two outs. Lizarraga punched a hard-hit fly ball to left fielder Aaron Hanke, who dropped the ball and both Kenley Jansen and Erik Kanaby scored to make it a 3-1 Loons lead.

In the ninth, South Bend sent 12 hitters to the plate to score seven times against Ramirez, highlighted by Sean Coughlin’s pinch-hit go-ahead two-run double off the wall in left field.

Parker Dalton led the way for the Loons with two hits, including a double in the ballgame.

Jimmy Principe went 4-for-4 with two doubles for the Silver Hawks in the victory. Both doubles came in the ninth inning.

Jordan Norberto started for the Silver Hawks and pitched six innings allowing only a single run and striking out nine in a no-decision. Bryan Henry (1-4) pitched two innings of relief to pick up the win, his first of the season.

Victor Garate matched Norberto through five innings on the hill for the Loons before giving way to Garrett White, who got out of a huge jam in the seventh inning. After walking the first two hitters he faced, White came back to strike out the next three South Bend hitters in order to end the inning.
Ramirez was charged with the loss, dropping his record to 1-6.

Great Lakes jumps into another home series Tuesday, when they host the Dayton Dragons. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Photos by Cory Butzin