Late Lansing Offense Pushes Lugnuts Over Loons in Pitchers’ Duel

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons came into Saturday night’s game at Dow Diamond riding a three-game winning streak, thanks to great pitching and timely offense over the last three contests.

On Saturday, it was the Lansing Lugnuts who used that formula.

In a game that began as a pitchers’ duel, the visitors scored three runs in the final two frames to take down the Loons, 4-2.

Lansing (16-22) scored the first run of the contest in the top of the fifth inning. Lazaro Armenteros singled with one out, stole second base, and advanced to third on a groundout. With two outs in the inning, Euribiel Angeles looped a single into shallow right field to push the Lugnuts in front, 1-0.

That was the only run allowed by Loons righty starter Nick Nastrini. The UCLA product gave up just three hits in five innings of work, walking one and striking out seven in his longest start of the year, and one of his best.

The Loons (22-16) offense responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Jose Ramos tripled with one out in the sixth inning, his second triple of the week, and sprinted in to score on a weak grounder right in front of the plate. Ramos sprinted in and slid safely under the tag, and Kekai Rios was credited with the RBI on the fielder’s choice.

That ended a spell of dominance by Lansing right-hander Joey Estes. He tossed 5 1-3 innings of three-hit baseball, walking two and striking out seven while allowing the lone earned run. Ramos was the first runner to reach third against him, and it happened with one out in the sixth inning. No Loon reached scoring position until the fifth, and Estes allowed just one hit in the first five frames.

Lansing, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, did not want the game to be tied for long. The Lugnuts reclaimed the lead in the very next half-frame. Michael Hobbs (L, 5-1) entered the game to begin the sixth, and got out of trouble with a double play ball. In the seventh, he allowed a leadoff single to Lawrence Butler, who stole second base. One batter later, Patrick McColl tripled to plate Butler and put the Lugnuts in front. McColl scored on a ground ball fielder’s choice – Drew Swift got an RBI by barely beating out the double play, and the visitors took a 3-1 lead.

The Lugnuts added on in the top of the ninth. Butler led off the frame with a solo homer, his fourth of the season, to give Lansing a three-run cushion heading to the Loons’ last chance.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, had hope in the bottom of the ninth. Imanol Vargas led off the frame with a bomb to centerfield, his second in as many games and his third of the season, to trim the deficit to 4-2. But Trayson Kubo (SV, 4) retired the next three Loons on batted balls to secure his second save of the week.

Jorbit Vivas was the highlight offensively for Great Lakes, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a walk. He was the only Loon to record a multi-hit game, though Vargas reached each time he came to the plate (home run, error, two walks). Vivas now has a nine-game hitting streak, and seeks to become the first Great Lakes player to hit safely in 10 straight games in 2022.

The Loons and Lugnuts settle the series Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond. Great Lakes can win the series with a win; the ’Nuts can secure a split if victorious. Kids run the bases after the game, and get a free meal courtesy of ESPN 100.9-FM – tickets are still available on Loons.com. The starting pitching matchup is a rematch of Tuesday’s game: Lansing righty Stevie Emanuels (2-3, 5.34 ERA) squares off with Loons lefty Lael Lockhart (1-0, 1.73 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Pregame coverage will begin at 12:50 p.m. on ESPN 100.9-FM 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.