Loons Drop Series Finale Via Walk-Off Against Quad Cities

The Great Lakes Loons and the Quad Cities River Bandits wrapped up a six-game road trip Sunday afternoon at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. It was the tail end of the longest road trip for the Loons and was the final game before the All-Star Break.

Great Lakes (52-34, 13-8 second half) trailed 7-2 before tying the game in the eighth. Quad Cities (33-54, 7-14 second half) walked it off in the ninth.

The Loons, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, had command issues on the mound all game. They walked a season-high 13 batters throughout the six arms used. Starter Kendall Williams (2-3) struggled in the third giving up four runs on two hits and two walks. The bullpen was able to limit damage, but walked nine more River Bandits collectively.

Great Lakes got on the board first in the first inning. Eddys Leonard hit his Midwest League leading 24th double, and then Jose Ramos walked before Imanol Vargas drove both of them in with a double of his own. The Loons had a 2-0 lead, but that was their only lead of the game.

Quad Cities, High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, scored one in the first on a bases-loaded walk. In the third, they scored four more on a combination of three singles, a double, a walk, a passes ball, and an RBI sacrifice fly. The River Bandits extended that lead in the fourth with two more runs. Another bases-loaded walk and a balk plated two more and gave Quad Cities a 7-2 lead.

The Loons had been struggling to hit for power over the last few games, but they broke out of the slump on Sunday. Their first six hits of the game were all doubles. Two more doubles in the fifth started the comeback for Great Lakes. Alex De Jesus and Jorbit Vivas had back to back doubles scoring De Jesus. Vivas was driven in two batters later on a Ramos RBI single. In the eighth, Great Lakes trailed by three. Two walks and single loaded the bases with no outs. Kekai Rios walked home a run to set up Edwin Mateo. Kasey Kalich (W, 3-3) took the mound in a bases loaded situation. Mateo grounded a ball into right field scoring Harold Restituyo and Aldrich De Jongh and tying the game at 7-7.

A new ball game once again as the score held until the ninth. Jeff Belge (L, 1-1) walked Tyler Tolbert to start the home half of the ninth. Tolbert, who hasn’t been caught stealing this season, swiped second and third base. Burle Dixon drove him in with an RBI sacrifice fly and Quad Cities walked it off.

After the longest road trip, the Loons now have their longest stretch of days off. The Midwest League All-Star Game takes place in Lansing on Tuesday, which means Great Lakes is off until Friday. They’ll return to Dow Diamond for a nine-game homestand. A three-game series against the West Michigan Whitecaps (47-40, 16-5 second half) starts Friday night and it’s the second Copa de la Diversión of the 2022 season. Other promotions for the weekend include the “Grand Slam Game” on Friday, Captain Marvel night and a Fireworks Loontacular on Saturday, and Christmas in July on Sunday. The Loons will also honor Terry Collins Saturday. Collins a Midland native who also served in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization with player development. The series starts Friday, July 22 with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. at Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan. Pregame coverage of the game starts at 6:50 p.m. with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland on ESPN 100.9-FM.

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.