Loons Club Three Homers to Down Peoria in Slugfest

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons had a total of three extra base hits in the first three games of the series against the Peoria Chiefs at Dow Diamond.

On Friday night, they had four in the first five innings alone.

Great Lakes used three home runs to outlast Peoria in an 11-8 slugfest in front of 5,407 fans.

The Loons (63-43, 23-17 second half) opened the scoring with small ball in the first inning against Peoria starter Austin Love (L, 6-11). Diego Cartaya walked, then an Imanol Vargas single moved him to third base. Eddys Leonard drove in a run on a fielder’s choice ground ball, giving the Loons a 1-0 lead.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, started slugging in the second inning. Luis Yanel Diaz hit a two-out triple, then scored on a single from Jorbit Vivas. One batter later, with the bases loaded, Vargas torched the first pitch he saw over the right field wall for a grand slam, pushing Great Lakes ahead, 6-0. It was his 16th home run of the season and his third grand slam. He becomes the second Loon to hit three grand slams in his Great Lakes career, joining Leonel Valera, and the first ever to hit three in the same season. In addition, it is the seventh grand slam by the Loons this season, the most for a Great Lakes season in team history.

Peoria (46-60, 18-22) responded in the top of the third. Mack Chambers and Jacob Buchberger each hit a two-run homer in the frame, bringing the visitors within two runs, trailing 6-4.

The Chiefs, High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, scored again in the top of the fourth inning, thanks to a Todd Lott RBI single. That slimmed Peoria’s deficit to just one run, 6-5.

Great Lakes wasn’t done. Cartaya belted his 10th homer of the year with the Loons, his 19th of the season overall, a two-run shot to put the Loons in front, 8-5, in the fourth inning.

The game continued to go back-and-forth, with the Chiefs scoring in the top of the fifth against Ryan Sublette (W, 7-1). Osvaldo Tovalin led off the inning with a solo homer, his seventh as a Chief and his 11th of the year overall. L.J. Jones singled, reached second after a walk then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Patrick Romeri sacrifice fly. That again brought Peoria within one run, trailing 8-7.

The Loons continued their home run hackathon in the fifth inning. After Jose Ramos and Aldrich De Jongh reached to begin the frame, Diaz launched his third bomb as a Loon and his 14th of the season in total, giving the Loons an 11-7 advantage.

After that, the game stabilized thanks to Robbie Peto (SV, 1). The Loons right-hander tossed four frames, allowing just one run on two doubles in the ninth inning. In total, he allowed three hits and one walk while striking out two.

Great Lakes jumps out to a 3-1 lead in the six-game set and has secured at least a split in the series, which continues at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Dow Diamond. Kendall Williams (2-3, 4.86 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Loons, opposing fellow right-hander Dionys Rodriguez (3-10, 4.45 ERA) for Peoria. Pregame coverage on ESPN 100.9-FM begins at 6:50 p.m. with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland.

At Dow Diamond, it’s the final Marvel Super Hero Night of the season, presented by MyMichigan Health. Black Panther will be in attendance, taking photos with fans throughout the game. Plus, the Loons will wear Black Panther-themed jerseys to be auctioned off after the game – visit Loons.com/auctions to bid. After the game, watch the skies light up with a Fireworks Loontacular, thanks to 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.