Choi Throws Five Scoreless Frames in Extra-Inning Loss

MIDLAND, MI – Allowing three unanswered runs in the final three innings, the Great Lakes Loons (49-45) dropped a two-run lead in the eighth inning, falling to the Lansing Lugnuts (45-49) in ten innings at Dow Diamond Friday night. Loons starter Hyun-il Choi made his fourth start since joining from Low-A Rancho Cucamonga, allowing no runs in five innings for his second quality start.

Ryan January reached base four times in his four trips to the plate, tying together a 3-for-3 night with a double and his fifth HR of the season. January’s long ball was the only team HR of the night, raising the season total to 145 in 94 games. January’s only at bat that didn’t result in a hit came in the seventh when he was plunked by a pitch for the 14th time in 49 games with Great Lakes.

Lansing starter Osvaldo Berrios made his High-A debut in fine fashion, finishing with five strikeouts in six innings and a pair of walks. Berrios surrendered the January two-run HR in the bottom of the fifth as his only runs allowed in his Friday debut.

Lugnuts reliever Brandon Withers (W, 2-1) held Great Lakes scoreless in his three innings, retiring four batters on strikes and only allowing a pair of hits and one walk. Charles Hall closed the door in the tenth inning with his eighth save of the season and his second of the series against the Loons.

Offensively, Great Lakes stranded ten batters on-base, finishing 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Trailing 3-2 into the home half of the tenth, the Loons began with Ryan Ward at second base. Following a leadoff fly out from Eddys Leonard, Andy Pages drew his team-best 58th walk of the season and third walk of the game to put the winning run aboard. Hall erased any doubt with back-to-back strikeouts on Brandon Lewis and Jonny DeLuca.

Leonard’s fly out in the tenth finalized an 0-for-5 line with two strikeouts, effectively ending his 12-game hitting streak, along with a14-game on-base streak.

Atop the Lansing lineup, Oakland A’s 2021 8th rounder Drew Swift paced the Lugnuts offense, reaching base in three of his five at-bats Friday night, scoring twice. Swift began the two-run eighth inning with a double, the only extra-base hit of the night for Lansing. Two wild pitches from Braidyn Fink allowed him to score. Swift began the extra tenth inning aboard second, scoring on an Austin Beck RBI single to give the Lugs their first lead of the night.

A pair of right-handers are scheduled to take the hill Saturday night at Dow Diamond. Great Lakes’ Logan Boyer takes the mound for his 20th start of the season, bringing a 3.13 earned-run average with him in 37 1/3 innings of work. Fellow righty Kyle Virbitsky makes just his second appearance with High-A Lansing, following being selected in the 17th round of the 2021 Draft by the Athletics.

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.