Seven Runs in Final Two Innings Lead Loons to Series Win

MIDLAND, Mich. – With nobody out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Great Lakes Loons trailed by a run and Jorbit Vivas stepped to the plate.

Vivas collected his 13th hit of the week, a two-run double up the right field line, to put the Loons in front of the Lansing Lugnuts.

The Loons would score four more times in the eighth, turning a tense game into a minor blowout. Great Lakes secures the series victory with their fourth win of the week, 8-3.

Great Lakes (23-16) took the lead in the second inning on one unearned run. After two outs in the frame, Leonel Valera reached base on an error, then advanced to second on a walk. Edwin Mateo then smacked a single to the outfield to drive in Mateo and give the Loons the lead. That was the lone hit allowed by Lansing starter Hogan Harris, who tossed 1 2-3 innings, giving up two walks while striking out one.

The Lugnuts, High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, turned to right-hander Stevie Emanuels, and he was incredibly effective. Emanuels held the Loons to just two his in his 4 1-3 innings, allowing two walks and punching out six batters while keeping Great Lakes off the board.

The Loons had some great pitching at the same time, thanks to lefty Lael Lockhart. The Great Lakes starter spun five frames of two-hit ball, allowing one unearned run while striking out five Lugnuts and walking one. The sole run that scored against him came across the plate in the fifth after a one-out error.

Lansing (16-23) jumped in front in the top of the seventh inning on two more unearned runs. Tyler Soderstrom led off the frame with a double, then Brayan Buelvas reached on an error. Jonny Butler walked, then was retired on a double play that would have ended the inning without the error, but instead scored a run. Another fielding error in the frame allowed one more run to score, and the Lugnuts took a 3-1 lead to the seventh inning stretch.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, didn’t trail for long. Mateo led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, his third hit of the day. He ended his day going 3-for-4. After that, Max Hewitt was hit by a pitch to put two men on, then Jonny Deluca pushed a single into the outfield to load the bases. Eddys Leonard walked to drive in a run, the second time in three games he has picked up an RBI with a base on balls, and the Loons trailed by just a run. That set up Vivas’s two-run double which put the Loons in front for good. All that action was against righty reliever Joe DeMers (L, 2-1), who tossed just one inning, allowing three earned runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout.

The Loons added on in the bottom of the eighth. After Daniel Martinez recorded the first two outs of the inning, Hewitt walked to extend the frame, and the home side just kept hitting. DeLuca blasted a home run over the right-centerfield wall, his Midwest League-leading 12th of the season, to give the Loons a three-run lead, 6-3. Leonard singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Vivas scored him on a single, giving him his 14th hit of the week and his eighth RBI. Jose Ramos followed that up with another RBI single to put the Loons ahead by the final score of 8-3.

Antonio Knowles (W, 2-2) came in to finish the seventh inning, and got out of the frame stranding two inherited runners. He then pitched the eighth inning, and only allowed a runner on an error, finishing with 1 1-3 innings of no-hit ball in relief with a pair of punchouts. Cole Duensing was warming for a save situation, but the Loons’ late offensive surge put that out of reach. Duensing tossed a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout.

Great Lakes wins the series over Lansing, four games to two, and the two teams will square off in three more six-game sets this year. The next series between these two clubs begins July 4 from the state’s capital city. The Loons, meanwhile, head to South Bend, Ind., for a six-game series against the Chicago-affiliated Cubs. First pitch of the opening game is Tuesday evening at 6:05 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 5:50 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.