Loons take series lead with 8-5 win over Lugs

LANSING, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (18-8, 54-36) greeted Devin Kirby in his Midwest League debut with a four-run third and a two-run fifth on the way to an 8-5 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts (8-18, 37-53) in front of a Thursday night crowd of 5,775 at JacksonⓇ Field™.

Great Lakes out-hit the Lugnuts 12-8; four Loons recorded a multi-hit game.

Already with a 2-1 lead, the Loons put the Lugnuts in a hole in the third inning off the former Southern Maryland Blue Crab, Kirby. Eduardo Quintero began the scoring with a leadoff, solo home run to left field, Emil Morales and Logan Wagner followed with a single and a double and Chase Harlan drove them in with an RBI double to deep left field.

Kirby drew the first out of the inning, a ground out from Jose Meza, but Harlan advanced to third on the play. A sacrifice fly from Eduardo Guerrero gave the Loons a 6-1 lead.

“My scouting report is I'm not gonna walk a lot of guys, and I'm in the zone quite a bit. …  And I don't blow people up with 99 (MPH), so I try to keep 'em off balance,” Kirby said. “And if they're gonna swing at first pitch or second pitch, not much off balance I can do there. …  They had the approach to get the swing off on something in the zone.”

Lansing made up some ground in the third and fourth. In the third, C.J. Pittaro scored Pedro Pineda with an RBI single. In the fourth, Carlos Pacheco rocketed his first triple of the season into left field, plating Logan Sauve, and Pineda cut the deficit down to 6-4 with a run-scoring ground out.

But Great Lakes ended Kirby’s debut with a two-out Guerrero two-run homer to right-center in the fifth to make it 8-4, forcing Lansing to switch to reliever Mitch Myers.

“That was a cutter,” Kirby said. “I was trying to go in. And it's funny 'cause it happened before in Stockton. I yanked it down, and when that cutter goes down it doesn't like to move much. And so he was ready for it, and he got to it.”

In 4 ⅔ innings, Kirby allowed eight runs (seven earned), nine hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

“Not the best of my ability,” Kirby said. “That's a good team. That's probably the best team I've seen in a very long time, since indy (independent) ball at least. I don't think I had my best stuff today.  I'm coming off being sick, and then a little late notice on the start day. … I'll live and learn, and I'll do it again, do it better.”

“He had some trouble landing the knuckleball, so when that happens, he has to throw his fastball and his cutters,” manager Javier Godard said. “So he kind of paid the price for it.”

The Lugnuts would go on to score a run in the fifth with a Myles Naylor RBI single off Loons reliever Robby Porco that scored Ali Camarillo to make it 8-5, but that was all the comeback they could muster.

In relief, Myers pitched 2 ⅓ scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three before Ryan Brown took over. Brown finished the final two innings, allowing a hit and a walk with one strikeout.

In the loss, Camarillo finished 2-for-4 at the plate with one run scored and one RBI, a run-scoring ground out in the first, and Jared Sprague-Lott also went 2-for-4 with one double, one walk and a run scored. Along with his RBI triple, Pacheco scored a run in addition to making a highlight-worthy diving catch in right field to retire Samuel Munoz at the top of the eighth.

When asked about the catch, Pacheco said he prepares his mind and body in order to play the way he played tonight. “My reaction was like, ‘Wow, that was incredible."

Carlos Pacheco makes a SPECTACULAR catch in right. The jump, the speed, the dive!

🎙️ @AdamJaksa pic.twitter.com/bKJWLFo5Ie

— Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (@jgoldstrass) July 24, 2026

With the recent shakeup in starting pitching, Jorge Marcheco is scheduled to make his second start of the season on Friday. The Loons are set to start southpaw Zach Root. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for Sitcom Night, with a guest appearance by Meredith from The Office, Kate Flannery, followed by LAFCU Fireworks to cap off the evening.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.

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