Vargas Serves Up Salami to Secure Season Series Win over Dayton

MIDLAND, Mich. – In the first inning Thursday at Dow Diamond, Imanol Vargas put the Loons ahead for the first time with a grand slam.

In the eighth inning Friday at Dow Diamond, Vargas did the exact same thing.

The Loons trailed until a five-run eighth inning, capped off by the second grand slam in as many nights from Vargas, as they defeat the Dayton Dragons, 11-8, and snap a two-game skid.

Dayton (43-30, 4-3 second half) opened the scoring in the second inning, putting a four-spot on the board. Austin Hendrick lifted a two-run shot, then a bases-loaded, two-run single from Tyler Callihan with two outs doubled the Dayton advantage, 4-0.

The Dragons, High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, turned that four-run lead into a six-run lead in the next two frames. A solo shot from Ruben Ibarra gave Dayton its fifth run in the third inning, then Jose Torres manufactured an unearned run in the fourth. Torres reached on an error, stole second and third base and advanced home on a throwing error attempting to catch him.

The Loons (45-28, 5-2) trailed 6-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, but finally got on the scoreboard in that frame. After a walk and a single, Jonny Deluca doubled to drive in a run. Kekai Rios followed that up with a two-run single, and the Loons had cut their deficit in half. With two outs, Eddys Leonard reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error, which scored Rios, and the Loons trailed 6-4.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, scored again the next inning. They loaded the bases with one out, and Rios was hit by a pitch to drive in a run and bring the Loons within a run, down 6-5. The next two batters struck out to strand the bases loaded.

It was at this time that the Loons had their most effective pitcher on the mound in right-handed reliever Antonio Knowles. In his two innings, Knowles allowed just two baserunners on an error and a hit batsman, and the one run that scored against him was unearned. He punched out four batters, the most by a Loon in the game.

Dayton gave themselves one insurance run in the sixth inning, thanks to a solo home run from Mat Nelson, the team’s third home run of the game. It was the second night in a row that the Dragons hit three home runs in a game, and they now have nine in the four games of this series. Dayton’s 91 home runs this season pace the Midwest League.

The two teams traded runs in the bottom of the seventh and top of the eighth. Rios blasted a solo shot, his fourth homer of the year, to bring the Loons within a run in the home half of the seventh. The next half-frame, Hendrick and J.V. Martinez traded doubles off of Julian Smith (W, 3-0) to give Dayton a two-run cushion, leading 8-6 entering the bottom of the eighth.

In the eighth inning, the Loons’ offense, which had been outhitting Dayton since the fourth inning, finally broke through against righty Manuel Cachutt (L, 1-1). Leonard singled, then Diego Cartaya drove him in with a double to bring Great Lakes within a run. After a walk and a hit batsman, Vargas came through with his grand slam, his second in as many nights, and his 10th longball of the season for Great Lakes, to put the Loons in front by the score that would be the final, 11-8. Vargas is the fourth Loon to hit two grand slams in the same season, but the first in franchise history to do it on consecutive nights.

Dayton made some noise in the ninth, loading the bases with two singles and a walk to put the go-ahead run at the plate, but Braydon Fisher (SV, 1) shut the door with a strikeout to confirm the win.

The Loons and Dragons each have two wins in the series entering the final two games of the six-game set, which are also the final two times the two teams will see each other in the regular season. The Loons do confirm the win in the season series, leading seven games to three. The series continues Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Dow Diamond, with right-hander Emmet Sheehan (3-2, 6.00 ERA) starting for the Loons against Dayton southpaw Evan Kravetz (4-1, 4.79 ERA). Before the game, take part in the Loons 1 Mile Beer Run, and after the game, watch a special Independence Day celebration edition of a Fireworks Loontacular, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan. Tickets are still available at Loons.com.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a 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.