Loons Take West Michigan Series With 8-4 Sunday Win

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (16-14) took the final three games of the series from the West Michigan Whitecaps (16-13) with their first Sunday win at Dow Diamond, 8-4. The Loons took their second series over the Whitecaps of the season, winning their third series overall. Great Lakes now plays their next 12 games coming on the road, beginning with a six-game series rematch against the Dayton Dragons from week one.

Great Lakes jumped onto the scoreboard with three runs in the first inning, highlighted by Miguel Vargas’ fifth homerun of the season and a two-RBI double for Carson Taylor. Vargas extends his on-base streak to 27 games, and raised his total bases tally to 70, highest in the High-A Central. Vargas also leads the HAC in extra-base hits, swinging the second-best batting average with .336. Leonel Valera also extended his on-base streak to 25 games with a walk in the seventh. Vargas finished Sunday’s game a single shy of the cycle.

Zac Ching continued his hot stretch of offense this series, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs batted in on a double and a single. With eight hits in five games in the series, Ching recording back-to-back-to-back multi-hit games, knocking his first double and triple of the season. A Carson Taylor walk continued the third inning for Zac Ching to drive in two runs on an RBI double. Ching recorded nine total runs batted in through the last three games of the series.

Loons fans were treated to the professional debut for Dodgers’ 2020 2nd rounder Landon Knack. Knack relieved GL starter Clayton Beeter for two innings, striking out three with one run on two hits. Cole Percival (W, 2-0) guided Sunday’s game through the next three innings, allowing one run on one hit, walking three. Percival benefited from a bases-loaded, 5-4-3 double play in the fifth to keep the lead with the Loons.

Spencer Torkelson contributed another multi-hit game for West Michigan, his second-straight outing in doing so. After having two doubles through the entire month of May, Torkelson finished the GL series with four, advertising a series batting average of .333, hitting seven times in 21 at-bats. Torkelson also homered in a Wednesday win for the ‘Caps.

The Loons played their fourth error-free game Sunday, their 10th in their last 15 games. In that span, nine of those ten games have resulted in a Loons win.

The Sunday Loons win moves them within a half-game from first place in the East Division, tied for second in the division with Dayton. Great Lakes now hits the road for an upcoming 12-game trip away from Dow Diamond, beginning with six against second-place Dayton. The matchup will serve as a rematch from an opening week that saw Dayton take five of six from the Loons at Dow Diamond. The Dragons were mainly powered by 12 RBIs from Brian Rey, the league’s best hitter through the first two weeks until his promotion to the Reds’ Double-A Chattanooga.

Right-hander Logan Boyer is scheduled to start Tuesday’s series debut against Dayton at Day Air Ballpark. Boyer will be opposed by Lyon Richardson, Cincinnati’s second-rounder in 2020. Richardson holds a 1.33 ERA in 20 1/3 innings with 25 strikeouts. All games of the 2021 season can be followed live by your home for Great Lakes Loons baseball, ESPN 100.9 FM.

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.