Walk-off Homer Caps Doubleheader Split in Home Finale
MIDLAND, Mich. – After dropping the first game of a doubleheader against the Lake County Captains, the Great Lakes Loons had lost four of five to Lake County and had been shut out in four of their last nine contests. A slumping offense was looking for a spark. When Austin
MIDLAND, Mich. – After dropping the first game of a doubleheader against the Lake County Captains, the Great Lakes Loons had lost four of five to Lake County and had been shut out in four of their last nine contests. A slumping offense was looking for a spark.
When Austin Gauthier stepped to the plate in the bottom of the second inning in game two Sunday at Dow Diamond, he certainly found a spark of his own.
The Loons infielder hit his first home run at the High-A level, a walk-off solo shot in the final inning of regulation Sunday, to deliver Great Lakes a game two win and a doubleheader split. After a 4-0 Lake County win in game one, the Loons took the second game, 3-2, in two seven-inning contests.
Lake County (73-51, 38-20 second half) got out to an early lead in the first game. After two walks in the first inning, two runs came in to score on an error, charged to Ronan Kopp (L, 0-1). Two more runs scored in the second frame on a single from Alexfri Planez, and that gave the Captains their 4-0 final margin.
The Loons (75-51, 35-25) saw great relief work in game one from Robbie Peto, who tossed four scoreless innings with one hit allowed. He did walk five batters, but also struck out two. In his Loons debut, Christian Suarez tossed a perfect seventh inning with one strikeout.
The Captains, High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, needed no relief work in the first game – Aaron Davenport (W, 6-6) spun a seven-inning complete game shutout with three hits and seven strikeouts.
Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, scored the first runs of the second game. After two hitless innings to start the game, the third inning began with a Yunior Garcia single. A fielder’s choice and an error put men on the corners with nobody out for
Lake County evened the score immediately in the top of the fourth. After a leadoff walk, Cesar Idrogo hit a two-run homer, his first as a Captain and his second of 2022, to knot the game at two.
Those were the only runs allowed to
The Loons were held quiet by the Lake County bullpen until the third pitch from Jaime Arias (L, 1-3), which Gauthier blasted the opposite way over the right-field wall for the walk-off home run. It was Gauthier’s first as a Loon and his seventh of the season, giving the Loons the 3-2 victory in game two.
Despite the exciting win to close out the home regular season slate, the Loons drop the series to the Captains, four games to two. It is the first six-game set at home that the Loons have lost this season. Great Lakes will return home for the playoffs, beginning at Dow Diamond on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 7:05 p.m. against Lake County or the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Captains have the lead over West Michigan right now with a magic number of three – any combination of three Captains wins or Whitecaps losses clinch the playoff spot for Lake County. The Loons, though, have already punched their ticket – and you can get your playoff ticket right now at Loons.com.
Great Lakes continues the regular season for one final week, beginning a six-game series Tuesday at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Mich., against the West Michigan Whitecaps (67-58, 36-23). ESPN 100.9-FM will have the coverage all week long, beginning at 6:20 p.m. Tuesday with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland. First pitch Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.
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.