Perez Powers Loons to 6-3 Series Opening Win over Cubs

By Great Lakes Loons

August 11, 2026

MIDLAND, Mich. – Nico Perez homered twice for the Great Lakes Loons (60-45) (24-17) to take the series opener against the South Bend Cubs (63-42) (24-19) 6-3 on an 82-degree partly cloudy Tuesday night at Dow Diamond. - Loons second baseman Nico Perez hit a two-run homer twice tonight. The

MIDLAND, Mich. – Nico Perez homered twice for the Great Lakes Loons (60-45) (24-17) to take the series opener against the South Bend Cubs (63-42) (24-19) 6-3 on an 82-degree partly cloudy Tuesday night at Dow Diamond.

- Loons second baseman Nico Perez hit a two-run homer twice tonight. The 21-year-old went deep for the first time since June 5th. He smashed a 430-foot shot to deep left centerfield in the fourth inning. In the seventh, he extended the Great Lakes lead to 6-3 with a 370-foot blast to left field. The Dodgers No. 26 prospect swung and drove the first pitch he saw on both roundtrippers.

- The Loons bullpen accounted for the final 21 outs, after Hyun-Seok Jang was removed after warmup pitches in the third inning. Joseilyn Gonzalez tossed a career-best 3.2 innings in relief. The right-hander permitted only one run.

- South Bend tallied the first three runs of the contest. Logan Poteet drove home two with a double in the second inning. Matt Hallbach launched a solo shot with two outs in the top of the third.

- Great Lakes tied the score 3-3 in the sixth. Mairo Martinus with runners on the corners and two outs beat out a groundball to shortstop. Martinus has six hits in six games with the Loons in 2026.

- Emil Morales, who had 10 RBI last week in Dayton, gave Great Lakes the lead in the seventh. The 19-year-old lined a 110-mph single into left field. Four of the six runs by the Loons were scored with two outs.

- Matt Lanzendorfer earned the win, pounding the strike zone with 27 of his 32 pitches. The left-hander extended his scoreless inning streak to 8.2 innings with 2.2 tonight. The 24-year-old allowed only one Cub to reach.

Rounding Things Out

With a Loons win and a West Michigan Whitecaps loss, Great Lakes currently has sole possession of first place in the Midwest League East standings.

Up Next

Tomorrow Wednesday, August 12th is the Meow at the Dow. Enjoy the game from the lawn with your feline friend. Wednesday is also a Hometown Heroes night presented by Meijer. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET.

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.