Hope Homers & Auger Earns Win in Pro Debut
MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (1-1) earned their first win of 2025, behind two home runs and dominant pitching which took down the Lake County Captains (1-1) 6-1 on a brisk 47-degree Saturday afternoon at Dow Diamond. - Brooks Auger made his first pro ball appearance and completed
MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (1-1) earned their first win of 2025, behind two home runs and dominant pitching which took down the Lake County Captains (1-1) 6-1 on a brisk 47-degree Saturday afternoon at Dow Diamond.
- Brooks Auger made his first pro ball appearance and completed 5.2 innings. The Dodgers 2024 6th Round Pick struck out three and tossed three 1-2-3 frames. Auger’s fastball maxed out at 96 mph.
- For the second straight game, the Loons opened the scoring. Josue De Paula doubled to right field followed by Zyhir Hope ripping a single to right field, for his first RBI of the day.
- Great Lakes struck a home run in the second and third innings. Jordan Thompson swung at the first pitch, in the bottom of the second, and sent it 426 feet to deep left-center field.
- Hope delivered again in the third. De Paula walked and Hope next up fell behind 0-2. After a pitch clock violation on Captains starter Dylan DeLucia, Hope hammered a 1-2 pitch 427 feet and 111 mph off the bat. Hope finished with a three-hit day, singling in the seventh.
- In the fourth, Jordan Thompson reached to begin the frame with a walk, followed by a Kole Myers single in his first game as a Loon. 19-year-old Eduardo Guerrero, who also made his Great Lakes debut, poked a two-run single to left field.
- Three Loons pitchers combined to close the final 3.1 innings. Jesus Luna got the final out of the sixth and worked a clean seventh. Reynaldo Yean retired Lake County batters in order, touching 98 with a fastball in the eighth.
- Carson Hobbs recorded the final three outs, needing just nine pitches.
Rounding Things Out
Josue De Paula walked twice. He had 13 multi-walk games across 52 appearances with Great Lakes in 2024.
Up Next
The Loons and Captains will play a series finale tomorrow Sunday, April 6th. The winner takes the series. The first pitch is at 1:05 pm. Tomorrow 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.