Early Explosion of Longballs Leads Loons to Victory

In the first series of the year, three games at Dow Diamond over the weekend, the Great Lakes Loons scored a total of 10 runs.

On Tuesday night at Dozer Field in Peoria, Ill., the Loons had 12 runs after the fourth inning.

The Loons used four home runs and 13 hits to defeat the Peoria Chiefs, 15-2, in their first road game of the 2022 season Tuesday night.

Great Lakes (2-2) got out to their lead in the top of the first inning. After a Jorbit Vivas one-out double, Ismael Alcantara smacked a single with two outs to score the first run of the game.

It didn’t take long for them to strike again. The iron was still hot when Imanol Vargas led off the second inning with a single, and after a pair of walks, the bases were loaded with one out for Jonny Deluca. The Loons outfielder smacked a grand slam over the left field wall, giving the Loons a 5-0 lead. For DeLuca, that was his fourth home run of the young season, good for the lead in the Midwest League.

The Chiefs (1-3) got their first run in the bottom of the second frame. Carlos Soto led off the stanza with a single, then was batted home by Thomas Francisco.

Loons pitching would hold them quiet for most of the rest of the game. Lael Lockhart (W, 1-0) took the rubber in the second inning, and did not allow a hit in 2 1-3 innings. Lockhart picked up four punchouts in his time on the mound.

The Loons relievers were equally effective in innings four through eight. Michael Hobbs tossed two innings of shutout, one-hit baseball, and Carlos Alejo did not allow a hit in his one inning. Those two combined for three strikeouts.

The pitching staff’s dominance made run support unnecessary, but they got plenty of run support anyway. Great Lakes got three runs in the third inning, the first on a sacrifice fly from Zac Ching, then Ryan January teed off a two-run shot to extend the advantage to 8-1. After three in the third, the Loons got four in the fourth: Alcantara notched his second RBI single of the evening, followed by a three-run homer from Leonel Valera.

Two more runs crossed the plate in the top half of the fifth inning. Valera picked up another RBI, and Alcantara knocked in another with a single, finishing his day 3-for-5 with three run-scoring singles.

Valera delivered the last jolt of offense for the Loons: the team’s fourth home run of the night, and Valera’s second. He smacked a solo shot to center field, and ended his night 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and five RBIs. With the four blasts, the Loons have a healthy lead in the Midwest League in the homer category.

One final run scored for Peoria in the ninth inning; after a pair of walks, Mike Antico notched his first hit of the season to drive in a run, and break up a seven-inning scoreless streak by the Loons pitchers.

Chiefs starter Austin Love took the loss in his first appearance of 2022, allowing nine earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out a pair.

The six-game series between the Loons and Chiefs continues Wednesday night at Dozer Park in Peoria, with first pitch scheduled for 7:35 p.m. Eastern. Great Lakes righty Kyle Hurt makes his first start of the young season, set to square off against southpaw Nathaniel Heredia. Coverage begins on ESPN 100.9 FM with the Loons On-Deck Circle at 7:20 p.m.

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.