Loons Strikeout 13 Lugnuts, Hang On 3-2

MIDLAND, Mich. – Great Lakes Loons (3-3) struck out 13 Lansing Lugnuts (2-4) batters, and Joe Vetrano added a two-run double in a 3-2 Loons win on a chilly and cloud 39-degree Thursday evening at Jackson® Field™.

- Great Lakes pitchers punched out 13 but also walked nine. Not one of the nine Lugnuts who walked would come around to score.

- Roque Gutierrez was lights out in his High-A debut. He struck out seven in his four innings of relief. No Lansing runner reached scoring position and Gutierrez ended three of his frames with a swing and a miss.

- The Loons tallied their three runs in the first three innings. Joe Vetrano smacked a triple to center field in the second inning. Vetrano was plated by a Jordan Thompson single.

- In the third, Vetrano had runners to drive in. Zyhir Hope hit his first of two singles, and Logan Wagner reached on an error. Vetrano then once again smoked a ball to center field. 109 off the bat and for the second time to centerfield over the head of Rodney Green Jr.

- Great Lakes starter Patrick Copen started strong and finished strong but battled through six walks over 2.2 innings. Copen mixed his cutter and fastball well in strikeouts but missed high with those offerings at times.

- Jesus Luna would inherit a bases loaded with two outs spot from Copen and powered through with a strikeout. Luna earned his first win since 2023.

- Lansing was held to just one run through the first eight innings. That run came off a wild pitch. Facing Reynaldo Yean, Green Jr. got a triple, a blast to right field. He scored on a Nate Nankill single that hit the hip of Yean. The right-hander bounced back. With the potential tying run 90 feet away he forced Darlyn Montero to groundout to earn the save.

Rounding Things Out

The Loons got their first save of the 2025 season. Great Lakes finished third in the Midwest League in 2024 with 39 saves.

Up Next

The final night game of the road series is tomorrow Friday, April 11th. The Loons and Lugnuts play with the first pitch at 6:05 pm. Saturday and Sunday will see 1:05 pm starts.

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.