Zazueta K’s Seven and Sirota Hits Inside the Park Homer in 9-5 Win

MIDLAND, Mich. – Christian Zazueta is the first Loons starter to earn a win in 2026, with the Great Lakes Loons (17-9) offense supporting his seven-strikeout outing in a 9-5 win over the Peoria Chiefs (11-14) on a 52-degree cloudy Saturday night at Dow Diamond.

- Christian Zazueta tossed a career-best 6.2 innings, striking out seven. The right-hander had 63 pitches through his first six innings. He permitted just two baserunners and struck out six, three with the fastball and three with the slider.

- The Loons had three multi-run innings. Mike Sirota had the highlight of the night with an inside the park home run in the seventh inning. With two outs and a runner on, Sirota sliced a ball to medium depth centerfield that Ian Petrutz dove for and missed. It rolled to the wall and Sirota sprinted around the bases. It was the first Loons inside the parker since Andy Pages did it on August 24th, 2021.

- The first seven Great Lakes batters each earned a RBI. Eduardo Quintero accounted for two with a two-run single in the first inning.

- In the third inning, the Loons had three straight RBI hits. Logan Wagner, Nico Pérez and Víctor Rodrigues all came through. Perez smoked a double up the left field line.

- Peoria had one run through the first six innings. Miguel Villaroel ripped a solo homer to right field in the third inning. The Chiefs finally pushed out Zazueta with a walk, single and hit batter. Accimias Morales made his home debut and his walk pulled Peoria within four.

- Reynaldo Yean permitted two hits, three stolen bases and an error at shortstop got the Chiefs three runs in the top of the eighth. Yean struck out Villaroel to strand a runner in scoring position and hold an 8-5 lead.

- Cameron Decker added to the lead with a sac fly in the eighth. Logan Wagner doubled to start the frame, moved to third base on a wild pitch and hustled home.

Rounding Things Out

Mike Sirota’s inside the park home run was the first at Dow Diamond since Jeren Kendall on August 26th, 2017, against the Dayton Dragons.

Up Next

The Loons go for their fifth win in this series tomorrow Sunday, May 3rd. The first pitch is at 1:05 p.m. ET. Sunday is Mom’s Day presented by MyMichigan Health and Kids Eat Free and Run the Bases presented by Serra Toyota of Saginaw.

The Great Lakes Loons have been 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 Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.