Trio of Captains receive diplomas prior to victory

Jerson Ramirez slammed the door shut on the Great Lakes Loons on Aug. 26, preserving the Captains’ 6-1 victory with his 11th save of the season.

It wasn’t anywhere near the highlight of the night.

Ramirez, along with teammates Jhonkensy Noel and Wilfir Peralta, were presented with their high school diplomas prior to the Captains game against the visiting Loons.

Donning black caps and gowns, the trio of Captains completed their high school educations and were presented their diplomas from Captains manager Greg DiCenzo and Indians general manager Chris Antonetti while their Lake County teammates watched on with smiles on their faces.

Once they had their diplomas in hand, the trio lofted their caps into the air in celebration.

“It’s an achievement in two areas,” Ramirez said after the game. “After I finish baseball, I’m going to have the opportunity to go to college and be a professional in something else.”

DiCenzo then sent the three high-school grads out to home plate to exchange lineup cards with the visiting team.

“It’s a big deal, and I talked about that today,” the Captains’ skipper said. “I congratulated (Ramirez) and all the guys. They’re some of my favorite people. At the end of the day, no one can take that away form them. Whether they’re in the big leagues for 20 years or their next ceremony is in front of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, no one can take this away from them.”

Ramirez played a big role in the win. When the Loons, trailing, 6-0 to start the ninth inning, loaded the bases and even forced in a run via a walk to make it 6-1, Ramirez came in and got the final two outs of the game.

With the two-thirds inning of spotless work, Ramirez not only notched his 11th save, but he lowered his ERA to 3.00.

Noel, starting at third base, had a pair of hits to raise his batting average to .303.

Peralta, an infielder, had the night off.

“I’m really proud of them,” DiCenzo said. “I haven’t known them as long as Anna (Bolton, the team’s education and language coordinator) or Chris (Antonetti), but I feel at home here and part of that is because of guys like them. I’m so happy to be part of it (tonight).”

The Captains (53-46) got the win with the help of some generosity from the Loons.

In the third, Jose Tena singled to right, a hit that was misplayed to allow both Raynel Delgado and Christian Cairo to score.

In the fourth, Bobby Bradley, on a rehab assignment from the Indians, scored on a throwing error from right-fielder Andy Pages.

Then in the seventh, Julian Escobedo sliced one down the right-field line — a hit that was scored a triple — but Pages tripped and fell, which allowed Delgado to score to make it 4-0.

The Captains scored two more runs for the sixrun cushion. But the way the Captains were pitching, six was more than enough.

Xzavion Curry went 5 1/3 scoreless innings to improve to 5-1 on the season. He scattered three hits, walked one and struck out four.

Nathan Ocker worked three effective innings for his eighth hold of the season before walking in a run in the ninth. That led to Ramirez slamming the door.

The Captains and Loons will meet again on Aug. 27, with Aaron Civale making a rehab start for the Captains and Logan Boyer (02, 4.88).