Cuadrado's Grand Slam Breaks Dragons

MIDLAND, Mich. - Great Lakes Loons outfielder Romer Cuadrado swung on a 1-0 count, tossed his bat and watched the ball fly for a grand slam, leading to a 9-3 victory against the Dayton Dragons on Saturday night at Dow Diamond. 
The win over the Dragons, earned in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,234, moves the Loons (21-27) just 0.5 games out of a playoff spot in the Midwest League Eastern Division. Great Lakes is 13-5 in its last 18 contests, including four straight. 
The Loons scored two runs off Dayton starter Jared Solomon (L, 0-1) in the bottom of the first on runs batted in by Devin Mann and Luke Heyer. Solomon gave up two runs on three hits and four walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out three hitters. 
Two innings later, the game was broken wide open. Great Lakes took a 5-0 lead over Dayton on RBI singles from Jacob Amaya, Drew Avans and Heyer. Then, Cuadrado struck with the bases loaded. He dropped the ball over the left field fence off reliever Wendolyn Bautista for a 9-0 edge. 
Bautista allowed six runs on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Prior to getting rocked by the Loons, the 25-year-old threw scoreless outings in five of his last six games. 
Los Angeles Dodgers 2018 third-round pick John Rooney got the start and fired 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball. He struck out four and issued two hits. Right-hander Justin Hagenman, Rooney's replacement, gave up two runs in the fifth. 
Jose Garcia put the Dragons (20-28) on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth with a two-RBI triple, his third of the season. J.D. Williams added a single to score Alejo Lopez. The run cut the Loons' lead to six runs, but it was not enough. 
Loons reliever Bryan Warzek (W, 1-1) pitched the sixth and seventh innings, earning the victory. Stephen Kolek gave up a run, but he was solid enough to close out the game for a Great Lakes win. 
Besides Cuadrado's four-RBI night, Heyer proved himself with a 3-for-5 appearance, pushing in two runs and scoring one himself. Chris Roller also shined, going 3-for-4 with a run scored.
The Loons and Dragons continue the four-game series on Sunday at 2:05 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.