Quality Loukinen Performance Leads to Saltdogs Victory

Lincoln, Nebraska-   Greg Loukinen pitched seven shutout innings and the Lincoln Saltdogs defeated the Kane County Cougars, 4-2, Saturday night at Haymarket Park.  The starting left-hander retired the last 15 batters he faced, and Lincoln pitchers sat down 19 straight Kane County hitters, in one stretch of the game.

Lincoln (18-22) scored four runs, off nine hits, with no errors.  Kane County (16-22) had two runs, with two hits, and committed no errors, in a game that zipped along at two hours and seventeen minutes, in front of 4,087 fans.

The Saltdogs scored in the bottom of the second.  With two outs, Clint Coulter doubled off Cougars starting pitcher Chris Mazza.  Then, Drew DeVine singled, scoring Coulter, to make it 1-0, Lincoln.

In the bottom of the fourth, Lincoln scored again, with two outs.  Drew DeVine drew a walk.  Then, Rolando Espinosa hit a Mazza 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run home run, his seventh of the season, to put Lincoln ahead 3-0.

Lincoln added one more in the bottom of the fifth.  Danny Bautista, Jr. led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, then advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Three batters later, Neyfy Castillo singled, driving in Bautista, Jr., to put Lincoln ahead, 4-0.

Kane County got on the board in the top of the ninth inning.  With one out, facing Lincoln reliever Franny Cobos, Josh Allen drew a walk, breaking up a stretch of 19 straight batters retired by Lincoln pitchers.  Then, Marcus Chiu hit a Cobos 0-1 pitch over the left field fence for a two-run home run, to make it 4-2.  Cobos responded by getting Todd Lott to ground out to shortstop, and Armond Upshaw to bounce out to Max Hewitt at third, for the final out of the game.

Saltdogs starter Greg Loukinen (2-4) picked up the win, pitching 7.0 innings, giving up no runs, off one hit, struck out eight and walked three.  Franny Cobos pitched 2.0 innings, yielding two runs off one hit, struck out one and walked one.

Cougars starting pitcher Chris Mazza (2-4) took the loss, pitching 5.0 innings, yielding four runs, off seven hits, struck out six and walked one.  Quinn Gudaitis pitched 2.0 innings, giving up one hit and struck out two.  Zach Veen pitched 1.0 inning, yielding one hit and struck out one.

Offensively for Lincoln, Danny Bautista, Jr. was 3-for-3.  Neyfy Castillo was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Drew DeVine went 1-for-3 and drove in one run.  Rolando Espinosa was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run.

For Kane County, Marcus Chui was 1-for-4 with a two-run home run.

The final game of the three-game series is Sunday afternoon.  RHP Johnny Blake (2-0, 3.55 ERA) will pitch for Lincoln.  Kane County has not yet announced its starting pitcher.  First pitch is 1:05 p.m.  The game will be broadcast on KFOR 101.5 FM/1240 AM with live audio streaming at:  www.kfornow.com.  Live video of the game will stream at:  www.aabaseball.tv.

Sunday’s game is “Family Funday Sunday”.  Fans may purchase one upper reserved ticket, one Fairbury Brand hotdog, one bag of chips, and one Pepsi fountain soda for $17.  They may also upgrade to a lower reserved ticket for $3 more.  It’s also “Signature Sunday”.  There will be Free balloon and face painting for all kids, sponsored by Hampton Farms.  Also, a pre-game player autograph session will be held from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m., sponsored by Wild Dutchman Sunflower Seeds.  Plus, it is also “Faith and Family Day”.  For tickets, fans may go to:  www.saltdogs.com/tickets.  Also, for merchandise and additional promotional information for future games, go to:  www.saltdogs.com.