De Paula’s Grand Slam Elevates Loons Over Dragons

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (5-6) answered a Dayton Dragons (4-7) four-run top of the eighth with a seven-run bottom of the eighth highlighted by a Josue De Paula grand slam. The Loons won 10-5 on a 53-degree sunny Wednesday night at Dow Diamond.

- Both starters allowed a run over four innings. Great Lakes right-hander Eriq Swan in his High-A debut, struck out three.

- The Loons’ first run was aided by two Dragons errors, one at third base scored a run. Dayton had five errors, their most in a game since September 3rd, 2021.

- Great Lakes notched two in the sixth. A Carlos Rojas double to left field plated the first, while a Logan Wagner walk gained the next.

- Wyatt Crowell, in his season debut, struck out a career-best six batters. His first three innings were scoreless. After swiftly securing the first two outs of the eighth, he walked a Dragon. Next up, John Michael Faile drove a 1-2 pitch over the right field fence, tying the game. The Dragons later in the eighth would string together a walk and two hits to take a 5-3 lead against Evan Shaw.

- In the bottom of the eighth, Dayton inserted Cody Adcock. The right-hander entered with five scoreless innings on the season, he would not record an out.

- Two walks and an error loaded the bases for Josue De Paula. The Dodgers No. 3 prospect demolished a 371-foot homer with a 103 mph exit velocity to deep right. It was De Paula’s sixth homer in 62 games as a Loon, with one of all four varieties. He has two in 2025.

- Great Lakes added three more runs, with Dayton walking five more hitters and committing another error. De Paula’s hit was the lone knock of the frame.

- Carson Hobbs worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with just 10 pitches.

Rounding Things Out

Zyhir Hope walked in the eighth inning, extending his on-base streak to 11 games.

Up Next

The Loons and Dragons matchup tomorrow Thursday, April 17th, with the first pitch at 6:05 p.m. Thursday will be the first Thirsty Thursday of the season presented by JP O’Sullivan. Beer is half-off all night.

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.