Loons Double-Crossed by Home Runs, Fall to Lugnuts

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons bats were loud early on Tuesday morning at Dow Diamond, scoring four runs in the first three innings and taking an early 4-1 lead.

Once morning turned afternoon, though, it was the Lansing Lugnuts that made all the noise.

Lansing scored six unanswered runs, holding the Loons scoreless in the final six innings, to win the series opener, 7-4, in front of a season-high 6,317 fans on a School Kids Day at Dow Diamond.

Great Lakes (19-15) took a first inning lead on three hits. Jonny Deluca led off the game with a double, but was erased trying to stretch it to a triple. Eddys Leonard followed that up with a single, then Jorbit Vivas tripled to drive in Leonard and give the Loons a 1-0 lead.

Lansing (15-19) tied it up in the next frame. Brett Harris smacked his seventh home run of the year to begin the second inning.

The Loons, High-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, would respond immediately. Edwin Mateo walked with one out, then reached second on an errant pickoff throw. After a groundout, Imanol Vargas notched his first and only hit of the day, an RBI single to reestablish a one-run lead, 2-1.

Great Lakes would continue its offensive onslaught in the third frame. Vivas hit a one-out triple, his second of the game. It’s just the 10th time in Loons history that a batter has smacked two triples in a game. The very next batter, Jose Ramos, notched his first hit and RBI of his Loons and High-A career, driving in Vivas with another triple. The trio of three-baggers is tied for the most in a single Loons game in franchise history, just the second occurrence of a three-triple day.

Lansing, the Oakland Athletics’ affiliate, scored two runs on three hits in the fourth inning to cut their deficit to one run, bringing an end to an otherwise solid start from Loons lefty Lael Lockhart. The southpaw tossed four innings of four-hit ball, walking one and striking out three. Of the trio of runs he allowed, just two were earned.

After that, the Loons offense would completely dry up. Kumar Nambiar (W, 2-0) came in with two outs and a runner on first in the fourth inning and did not allow a hit in 2 1-3 innings. He walked two batters and struck out three, keeping the game close to allow his offense to come around in the late innings.

The Loons would have a solid bullpen performance, too, namely the two innings tossed by Cole Duensing, the fifth and the sixth. The right-handed reliever threw two perfect frames, striking out the side in the fifth for his three punchouts.

The seventh inning began well for the Loons defensively, as Braydon Fisher (L, 0-1) came in and recorded the first two outs with ease. At that point, Great Lakes had retired nine Lugnuts in a row. But Lawrence Butler broke that streak with a walk before Matt Cross made Fisher pay, blasting his first home run of the year to put Lansing ahead, 5-4.

Cross was not done. His second homer of the year and of the day came with two outs in the ninth inning, another two-run bomb, to cushion the Lansing lead, 7-4.

The Loons got a one-out single in the ninth inning, but he was stranded against Trayson Kubo (SV, 3), who retired the other three batters in the frame. The hit came off the bat of Leonard, who went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. He and Vivas combined for five of the Loons’ eight base knocks, while spots five through eight in the Great Lakes order went hitless.

Lansing takes an early 1-0 lead in the six-game set between these two clubs, which continues Wednesday night at Dow Diamond. This was the first of an eventual 24 meeting between the Lugnuts and Great Lakes, making up almost a quarter of the Loons’ remaining schedule. Cole Percival (1-0, 2.19 ERA) gets the start for the Loons, facing off against fellow right-hander Jeff Criswell (1-1, 3.60 ERA) for Lansing. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. on another Paws and Claws night, presented by White Claw. All White Claws are 50% off all night long, and dogs are welcomed to Dow Diamond. Tickets are still available at Loons.com. On ESPN 100.9-FM, pregame coverage begins at 5:50 p.m. with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a Single-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 ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.