An Error Filled Sixth, Slides Lugnuts passed Loons

MIDLAND, Mich. – Despite leaving ten runners on base, the Lansing Lugnuts (2-0) pitching and timely baserunning pressured and outmatched the Great Lakes Loons (0-2), with the final score 4-1 on a 40-degree overcast afternoon at Dow Diamond.

The Loons grabbed their first lead of 2023 in the bottom of the first inning. Austin Gauthier got on with a walk and would advance to second after a Jacob Watters wild pitch. Alex Freeland, the Dodgers No. 27 Prospect according to MLB Pipeline, then took advantage of a 3-1 offering lining a fastball to centerfield and plating Gauthier. Freeland’s first RBI in High-A.

Great Lakes’ Ben Casparius made his 2023 debut and battled to complete three innings while only permitting a run. After retiring five of the first six batters, the right-hander allowed a single to Lansing’s CJ Rodriguez, a walk to Alexander Campos, and Jonny Butler followed that up with an RBI single in the top of the second. With two on, Casparius buckled down to strikeout Caedan Trenkle.

In the third, the Lugnuts put two in scoring position. Max Muncy doubled then went to third on a wild pitch, and Lazaro Armenteros walked and stole second base. Casparius once more reeled back and gained strikeout number five, his 26th pitch of the inning past Eurbiel Angeles to keep the score knotted at one.

The Loons were blanked the rest of the way. In the middle innings, Great Lakes had one batter reach in each frame.Yayner Fernandez was left on second after singling and advancing to second in the fourth, Taylor Young was stranded on third after a single, stolen base and groundout to move him over in the fifth, and a 6-4-3 double play took Damon Keith off the bases in the sixth after reaching on a four-pitch walk.

Antonio Knowles, threw two scoreless in his 2023 debut, striking out two. In the top of the sixth, the Lugnuts gained their lead off Aldry Acosta.

Acosta, surrounded back-to-back singles against Eurbiel Angeles and CJ Rodriguez. After a wild pitch, both runners moved into scoring position. The Venezuelan native struck out the next batter he saw, and would face Jonny Butler next. Butler put a ball in play to the right side of the infield, first baseman Yunior Garcia bobbled it and could not make an out which scored Angeles.

Caedan Trenkle followed up with a ground ball that for a moment ended the inning. But the double play was taken away and a catcher’s interference was ruled. With the bases loaded, Jack Winkler smacked a ball to left field that drove in a run. The third and final error of the inning came on a groundball to third that Austin Gauthier threw home to get Butler but took Yayner Fernandez off the plate, making the score 4-1. Acosta finished the inning forcing a 5-2-3 double play.

Great Lakes in the final three innings, were held without a hit. The bullpen kept the game within striking distance, with Jack Dreyer and Mitchell Tyranski making their High-A debuts and combing for five strikeouts across three innings.

The Loons look for win one in the final game of a three-game series against the Lugnuts tomorrow Sunday, April 9th. Kids eat free and can run the bases postgame, presented by EGLE. Easter Sunday will also feature an Easter Egg Hunt, during and after the game.

The Great Lakes Loons have been the 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.