Loons ride pitching to victory over Hawks

Great Lakes got just enough offense Tuesday and the bullpen allowed only an unearned run in six innings of work as the Loons pulled out a 2-1 victory over the South Bend Silverhawks at Dow Diamond.

The Loons jumped out to an early lead when third baseman Juan Rivera connected for his fourth home run of the season, a line-drive which just cleared the left-field wall to make it 1-0. Rivera would later deliver what would ultimately be the game-winning run in the third when his two-out RBI-single scored Francisco Lizarraga to give the Loons a 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile, the Loons’ pitching was stellar as starter James Adkins went his customary three innings without allowing a run and struck out a career-high five. Tim Sexton (3-0) picked up the win going five shutout innings and striking out five, as well.

The Hawks would eventually end the Loons’ bid for a shutout when they plated an unearned run in the ninth after a Rivera fielding error, but Chris Malone picked up his first professional save when he got Yunesky Sanchez to hit a grounder to second for the final out of the ballgame

The Loons-Silverhawks series continues Wednesday night when left-hander Paul Coleman will get the start for the Loons. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Game Notes:

• The attendance of Tuesday’s contest pushed the grand total for the season over 300,000. The current total attendance for games at Dow Diamond is 303,197.

A box score of Tuesday’s game is available at milb.com.