Loons Tie Franchise Record for Runs in Beatdown of Dayton

MIDLAND, Mich. – Entering the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday at Dow Diamond, the Great Lakes Loons had a 9-5 lead, but the Dragons had just scored a pair and proved that they were still in the contest.

The Loons responded with – count ’em – nine runs in the eighth inning.

Great Lakes collects its 16th win its last 18 games, defeating the Dayton Dragons, 18-6, and scoring a franchise record-tying 18 runs for the fourth time in team history.

The Loons (44-26, 4-0 second half) opened the scoring in the second inning. Jose Ramos led off the frame with a single before Imanol Vargas scored him with a double. With the bases empty and one out, reigning Midwest League Player of the Week Jonny Deluca homered for the 18th time this season. One out later, Ismael Alcantara smacked a solo shot, his second longball of the year and his first since opening day, to give the Loons a 3-0 lead.

Dayton (41-29, 2-2) scored their first run in the fourth inning, on a walk, a hit and a sacrifice fly. That was the only run that Loons righty starter Nick Nastrini (W, 1-2) allowed in his five innings of work. Nastrini ceded two hits and two walks while striking out 10 and earning the first win in his pro career. He sets a season-high for strikeouts by a Loons pitcher this year, the first Loon to punch out 10 in a game since Jose Chacin on August 23, 2019.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, re-established a three-run lead in the bottom of the fourth, and added another in the fifth. DeLuca got hit by a pitch in the fourth before scoring on an Alcantara two-out triple. To lead off the fifth, Diego Cartaya blasted his third round-tripper of his Loons career, and his 12th of the year overall. That put Great Lakes ahead, 5-1.

The Dragons, High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, tossed right-hander Thomas Farr (L, 0-4) for the first four innings. He allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk, striking out six batters.

Dayton made things interesting in the sixth inning, leading off the frame with back-to-back homers from Daniel Vellojin and Elly De La Cruz to cut the Loons’ lead in half, 5-3.

The Loons responded with a four-run bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Alex De Jesus hit his fourth homer with Great Lakes and his 11th of 2021, a three-run blast to right-center field. After that, Cartaya singled, then scored on a Jorbit Vivas double, and the Loons had a 9-3 lead.

That held until the eighth, when Dayton scored a pair in the top of the frame on an Austin Hendrick homer. It brought the visitors within four, trailing 9-5.

In the bottom half, the Loons scored more runs than in any other inning this season, putting up a nine-spot on three hits, eight walks, an error and a hit batsman, to double their score and put them ahead 18-5.

Dayton tacked on one more in the ninth on a sac fly for the final score of 18-6.

The Loons get double-digit hits in a game for the fourth consecutive contest, this time with 13 hits. In the last four games, Great Lakes has 54 hits. On Tuesday, all nine batters got at least one hit, with Alcantara and Cartaya registering a two-hit day and De Jesus collecting a trio of base hits.

Great Lakes wins the series opener and now leads the season series over Dayton, six games to one. The set continues Wednesday at Dow Diamond at 7:05 p.m. Kyle Hurt (4-2, 2.52 ERA) toes the rubber for Great Lakes, opposing fellow righty Joe Boyle (3-1, 0.72 ERA) for the Dragons. Pregame coverage begins on ESPN 100.9-FM with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland, at 6:50 p.m. At the ballpark, the Loons will play as the Great Lakes Camels for the first time this season, and it’s another Paws and Claws night, presented by White Claw: enjoy 50% off White Claws all game long, plus bring your four-legged friend to the ballpark. Tickets are still available on Loons.com.

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.