FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Emil Morales had half of the Great Lakes Loons (64-49) (27-22) hits and drove in four of their five runs, but it wasn’t enough in a 6-5 loss to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (48-65) (21-26) on a 76-degree overcast Wednesday night at Parkview Field.
- Emil Morales had his third four-hit game of 2026. Morales hit a bloop single to right field in the first inning and a single into left field in the third. At the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, the 19-year-old tied the game with a crushed ball that landed on top of The Summit beyond the center field fence. Morales had 17 home runs and two grand slams with the Loons in 67 games.
- Great Lakes starter Sterling Patick went six innings tonight. The TinCaps earned eight hits against the southpaw and tallied five runs in the second inning.
- Kerrington Cross started the second inning with a single. He moved to second base on an unfinished 1-3-4 pickoff play and to third base on an errant pickoff throw that trickled into center. Lamar King Jr. walked and a bloop infield single by Yoiber Ocipio put Cross across home. Conner Westenburg split the right-center field alley with a two-run triple. He was the fifth run after an RBI groundout.
- The Loons tied the game in the fourth on Morales’ grand slam. Victor Rodrigues got Great Lakes on the board with a sacrifice fly to right field. Eduardo Guerrero walked on five pitches against newly inserted right-hander Carlos Medina. Mairo Martinus and Jose Meza had back-to-back singles to load the bases. Chuck Davalan’s seven-pitch walk jammed the bases again, ahead of Morales.
- Fort Wayne took the lead in the seventh inning. Cody Morse walked Bradley Frye and then a hit and run was executed on Robbie Lavey’s lone reach of the game. TinCaps third baseman Kerrington Cross added his fourth single of the game to plate Frye.
- Great Lakes left 10 on base, four in the final two innings. An error at shortstop, Morales’ fourth hit and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning. Fort Wayne reliever Jeferson Villabona forced a groundball toward third base, Kerrington Cross made a diving stop and his low throw was picked by Yoiber Ocipio to close the game.
Rounding Things Out
West Michigan won today. The Whitecaps now have a 2.5 game lead over the Loons in the Midwest League East Division second half standings.
Up Next
The next two nights have a first pitch time of 7:05 p.m. ET at Parkview Field. The Loons and TinCaps matchup for the 18th time this season.
The Great Lakes Loons have been a partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team’s inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team’s home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.