Loons Leave 13 on Base, Lugnuts Win 4-3

Lansing, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (65-44) (20-24) left at least one runner on base in every inning but the seventh, dropping their second game by one run to the Lansing Lugnuts (50-59) (19-25) 4-3 a 78-degree sunny Wednesday night at Jackson® Field™.

The Lugnuts trailed through the first five innings, tying the game in the sixth and taking the lead in the eighth. Clark Elliot singled to begin the eighth and reached second after a Lucas Wepf balk. T.J. Schofield-Sam next-up lifted a double off the centerfield fence, to make it 4-3. Wepf stranded two to keep the deficit at one.

In the top of the ninth, the Loons had their first two batters reach. Yeiner Fernandez and Damon Keith both singled. A flyout placed Fernandez to third, and Keith stole second base. Lansing’s Stevie Emanuels punched out two to end the game.

The Loons tallied two runs in the first two innings but vacated five on base. In the first, Alex Freeland doubled and was plated by a Damon Keith single. It was Keith’s first at-bat since August 3rd, missing the previous 10 games. The single put runners on the corners, but a strikeout and flyout closed the inning.

Chris Alleyne swung and smoked the first pitch of the second inning, a 384-foot solo home run. Alleyne’s fifth of the season. Great Lakes loaded the bases with two walks and a Jake Vogel double. Three strikeouts from Lugnuts starter Jose Dicochea stranded the bases loaded.

Hyun-il Choi allowed an extra-base hit in four of his five innings, with only two aiding runs. Colby Thomas doubled to start the second inning and was brought home on a Danny Bautista Jr. groundout. Jacob Wilson whacked a double to center field, scoring Junior Perez from first base in the third. Choi stranded three runners in the next two frames. The right-hander struck out two in the fifth.

In the top of the fifth, Chris Alleyne’s second RBI of the day gave the Loons a 3-2 lead. Damon Keith walked on five pitches, reaching third after a single and groundout. Alleyne legged out an infield single, to push the Loons ahead.

Jack Dreyer entered in the sixth, recording the first out and making it 16.2 innings without allowing a run. The scoreless inning streak is the longest in the Midwest League this season. With one out, Clark Elliott elevated a ball to deep center field, notching his first triple of the season. Danny Bautista Jr. singled up the middle to knot up the game at three, ending Dreyer’s streak.

In the final four innings, Great Lakes had five base runners left aboard. Jake Vogel doubled with one out in the eighth but was standing 90 feet away when the inning ended. The Loons' last four games have all been decided by one run, dropping the last three.

Great Lakes and Lansing face off in game three of the series tomorrow Thursday, August 17th. The first pitch is 7:05 p.m.

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.