Loons Get Back on Track in Lansing
LANSING, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (9-11) scored all their runs on a pair of homeruns Wednesday night, besting the Lansing Lugnuts (10-10) with a 5-2 final. Leonel Valera hit his second homer in the last two nights with a three-run blast in the second, his team-high sixth of
LANSING, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (9-11) scored all their runs on a pair of homeruns Wednesday night, besting the Lansing Lugnuts (10-10) with a 5-2 final. Leonel Valera hit his second homer in the last two nights with a three-run blast in the second, his team-high sixth of the season. Andy Pages also left Jackson Field with a 422-foot, two-run blast. Valera’s six homeruns puts him tied for second in the HAC, and leads active HAC players with 46 total bases.
Right-hander Jose Martinez (W, 1-0) recorded the first Loons win as a starter, surrendering two runs on six hits in his five innings. Cole Percival threw a season-high 51 pitches in his 2 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, walking three and striking out two. Braidyn Fink (S, 1) finished the job for the Loons with a four-out save, striking out one.
A third-inning blast for Pages extends the on-base streak to 17 games, anchored by a nine-game hitting streak, both team-highs. Miguel Vargas knocked his sixth double of the season, moving his on-base streak to 14 games. As a team, Great Lakes sits third in the HAC in both runs (94) and homeruns (20). Defensively, Wednesday’s game was the Loons’ fourth errorless performance in their last five outings.
Brady Basso (L, 0-2) allowed all five runs, just four earned, in his fourth start of the season for the Lugnuts. Basso’s outing began favorably, striking out two in his first inning. Lansing pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts to Loons’ batters, following a 13-strikeout performance in the series debut on Tuesday. Shohei Tomioka ended the damage with three innings of scoreless relief, striking out two. Bryce Nightengale allowed two hits in his two innings, striking out four and walking none. Fellow righthander Brandon Withers closed the outing for the Lugs, striking out three in an inning.
The Loons win puts an end to a two-game losing skid that saw an end to the previous Lake County series on Sunday, as well as Tuesday’s series opener at Jackson Field against Lansing. With 224 matchups in the books, Lansing leads the all-time series, 113 games to 111. The Loons and Lugs continue the first six-game series Wednesday night of what will be 24 total matchups devised into four six-game series throughout 2021.
Great Lakes sends Jesus Vargas (14.1 IP, 2.51 ERA), a right-hander, to the mound to start Thursday’s 7:05 contest against the Lansing Lugnuts for his second start of the year. Vargas enters his fifth year in the Dodgers organization, following a 2019 injury and rehab hiatus. Lansing is scheduled to throw Richard Guasch, a 6’4 righty from Cuba. In two previous starts, Guasch has struck out 16 batters in 11.2 innings, allowing only one earned run. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. EDT on ESPN 100.9 FM, your home for Great Lakes Loons Baseball.
Following this week’s trip to the state’s capitol, the Great Lakes Loons return to the full-capacity confines of Dow Diamond to host the West Michigan Whitecaps on June 1. First pitch for Tuesday at Dow Diamond is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EDT; fans can inquire about tickets at Loons.com.
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.