Loons’ Late Rally Falls Short in Ninth

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (8-10) slipped on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond to the Lake County Captains (11-7), ending a three-game win streak with a 4-3 final. The Loons erased a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the eighth with two runs and moved the tying run to third in the ninth before dropping the series finale to Lake County. Great Lakes and Lake County both took three games from each other, a series that began with back-to-back Loons losses. Winning three in a row, GL entered Sunday aiming to take their second straight series, but fell short.

Miguel Vargas and Leonel Valera, both 2019 returners, led the Great Lakes attack with 2-for-4 performances. Ryan Ward put the Loons on the scoreboard in the bottom of the 8th with a two-RBI double to cut the deficit to two. The on-base streak is now 13 consecutive games for both Valera and Vargas. An Andy Pages single in the fourth carries his on-base streak to 15 games, anchored by a seven-game hitting streak.

Cleveland’s fifth-round draft pick in 2020 Mason Hickman (W, 1-1) made his third start, striking out seven batters in five scoreless innings. Jared Janczak earned his first save of the year, stranding the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. Scheduled for one inning, Dodgers’ 2020 second-rounder Clayton Beeter (L, 0-1) left the bases loaded with one out in the first for Alec Gamboa. The Captains only scored one in the first, but never gave up the lead. Gamboa lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing a run on two hits while striking out three. Great Lakes used six total pitchers in the losing effort.

Offensively, Great Lakes ended 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position in Sunday’s loss. The Loons made it three straight errorless games on Sunday, but struck out thirteen times for the second time this week. Captains’ first baseman Joe Naranjo ended 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring two with a two-out double in the fifth off Great Lakes’ righty Austin Drury.

A six-game trip to Lansing now awaits the Loons, beginning on Tuesday, May 25. Lansing and Great Lakes entered Sunday tied for second in the East Division, behind a first-place tie with Dayton and Lake County. Lansing leads the East in batting average (.242), team ERA (3.04), and strikeouts (189), while surrendering the fewest walks (53).

The Loons will return to a 100%-capacity Dow Diamond on June 1 to face fellow East Division foe, West Michigan. Great Lakes’ first showdown against the Whitecaps came in the second week of the season when the Loons took four of six from the ‘Caps at LMCU Ballpark. Fans can look forward to the first trip to Dow Diamond for baseball’s first overall draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft in Spencer Torkelson. Home night games in June, as well as through the rest of the season at Dow Diamond, will begin at 7:05 p.m. EDT.

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.