Late Rally Falls Short

LANSING, Mich. - Darrell Miller, Jr. hit a two-RBI double down the left-field line in the top of the ninth inning off Lansing right-hander Matt Shannon, but the Loons stranded the tying runner on third base in a 4-3 loss to the Lugnuts on an overcast Sunday afternoon at Cooley Law School Stadium.
The Loons suffer their seventh sweep of the season and lose for the eighth time in a row, their longest streak of the season. Lansing (Blue Jays) hands the Loons their 10th straight loss on the road; Great Lakes journeys to Dayton, Ohio to continue its seven-game road trip against the Dragons (Reds) on Monday night at 7 p.m.
Lansing's offense, which leads the Midwest League in doubles and runs scored, only produced five hits on Sunday, but relied on a three-run first innings to stifle the Loons in the series finale. The first three batters tallied hits for the Lugnuts in the bottom of the first inning off left-hander Leo Crawford, who took the loss.
Ryan Noda drove in his ninth RBI of the four-game series to give Lansing a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, a two-run single by Brock Lundquist put the home team up 3-0. Crawford retired 12 batters in a row to complete his outing, and the Loons did not allow a base hit after the second inning.
Offensively, the Loons' woes continued with runners in scoring position; the Loons were 2-for-13 on Sunday and are 13-for-91 (.143) with runners in scoring position on their eight-game losing streak.
Brian Morales hit his third home run of the season on the first pitch of the fourth inning to get the Loons on the board, but it was the only run allowed by Lansing starter Maverik Buffo. The right-hander scattered six hits over six innings with no walks and three strikeouts to improve to 7-2. 
Miller's two-run double came with one out in the ninth, but Moises Perez and Brandon Montgomery each bounced to short on the first pitch of their respective at-bats. Pinch runner Devin Mann was stranded on third base to end the game. 
Dodgers' eighth-round pick Luke Heyer made his Loons' debut as a pinch runner in the seventh inning. Heyer joined the team on Sunday after a four-game stint with the Rookie-Advanced Ogden Raptors. The 21-year-old out of the University of Kentucky scored a run and hit into a fielder's choice in his only at-bat of the game.
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.