Susac’s Two Home Runs Powers Lugnuts Past Loons

Lansing, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (65-43) (20-23) comeback effort fell short as the Lansing Lugnuts (49-59) (18-25) held on for a 6-5 win powered by two home runs on a 67-degree cloudy Tuesday night at Jackson® Field™.

In the first inning, Great Lakes worked two walks. Alex Freeland singled to load the bases. In a seven pitch at-bat, Kenneth Betancourt ripped a double to left-center field, clearing the bases. Betancourt matched his RBI total from his first 15 games.

Maddux Bruns completed his second start of five innings in his 16th start with Great Lakes. He did leave the game, with the Loons trailing 4-3. In his first two innings, the left-hander hit two batters stranding them both on base. The Dodgers No. 18 prospect limited the damage in the third. After a leadoff double and a bunt single, Bruns retired the next three, one run was plated on a sacrifice fly.

The Lugnuts scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Bruns walked his first batter, nine-hitter Clark Elliot. Junior Perez then doubled to put two in scoring position. Jacob Wilson’s groundout scored Elliot. With two outs, Daniel Susac smoked a ball 383 feet to deep left field, a two-run home run to make it 4-3.

From the second inning through the seventh inning, Great Lakes had six hits but left six on base. In the fourth, a Lansing error put two in scoring position, but a popup to the catcher ended the inning and four innings pitched for Lansing’s Mitch Myers.

In the bottom of the seventh, Lansing tacked on two with Daniel Susac’s second two-run home run of the game. It is Juan Morillo’s first home run allowed, through 22 innings.

Great Lakes down 6-3, had the potential tying run reach in the eighth. Kenneth Betancourt, with one out, walked on five pitches. Griffin Lockwood-Powell sliced a double to left field, bringing home Betancourt from first. With two outs, Jake Vogel kept the inning alive with an RBI single on a 2-2 pitch. Vogel now has 14 hits in 13 games played in August and eight runs batted in.

Lugnuts reliever Pedro Santos after a walk, forced a flyout to cap the inning. Santos spun a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts. The Loons have played three straight decided by one run; they are 1-2.

Game two between Great Lakes and Lansing is tomorrow Wednesday, August 16th. The first pitch is at 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.