Loons Hop on Gore for Sunday Series Win, 6-2

MIDLAND, MI – The Great Lakes Loons (59-49) defeated the Fort Wayne TinCaps (51-57), 6-2 at Dow Diamond, winning their third-consecutive series on Sunday. Brandon Lewis recorded his 20th Loons home run, his 30th of the season overall in a 2-for-2 day. Lewis becomes the third Loons player to record 20 or more HRs in a single-season, furthering the franchise record. Great Lakes hasn’t seen a previous season of even two players hit more than 20 HRs.

The San Diego Padres assigned left-hander MacKenzie Gore (L, 0-1), third-overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, to a Sunday start against the Loons. Gore began the season with the Padres’ AAA El Paso, where he tallied a 6-6 record with a 5.85 earned-run average.

In a five-inning quality start, Gore allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and four walks. In the bottom of the first inning, Great Lakes forced Gore to throw 30 pitches, putting six men aboard and scoring three runs on two hits. Gore settled into his Sunday start, retiring 13 of his next 15 batters faced, despite a two-out walk and double in the third.

Carlos Duran made his High-A debut for Great Lakes, allowing two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings and managed runners well with his four walks.

Dodgers 2021 10th-rounder Michael Hobbs (W, 1-0) struck out a batter and allowed a pair of walks in his 1 1/3 innings for his first professional win.

Outhit in all but one game this week, the Loons and TinCaps finished even with seven hits apiece on Sunday. Despite being 14-30 when outhit by their opponents entering the series, the Loons were able to dig out four wins to take their third-straight series.

Along with a walk in his first at-bat, Joe Vranesh doubled and tripled in the Sunday win, and came in to score in a double-steal with Leonel Valera in the 6th inning.

In his five at-bats, Fort Wayne’s Tirso Ornelas reached base in four of his five trips in a 2-for-3 day. Combining Saturday and Sunday’s games, Ornelas was 9-for-10 in reaching base safely.

A 3-0 Loons lead was trimmed to a run after Fort Wayne scored a run in the top of the third and fifth, with both falling on Duran’s line. Great Lakes outscored the TinCaps with three runs in the sixth and seventh innings to push Sunday’s game out of reach, benefiting from three extra-base hits.

Mike Mokma shut down Fort Wayne batters for the final two innings on the mound, holding the TinCaps scoreless on one hit and no walks.

Sunday concluded the regular season series between Great Lakes and Fort Wayne, with the Loons taking 11 of the 18 games. With six games to play at home, the Sunday win brings the Loons to a .500 record at Dow Diamond with 27 wins and 27 losses for the first time even since Opening Night.

The Loons head to Comstock Park for their final road trip of the season, beginning a six-game series against the West Michigan Whitecaps on Tuesday, September 7 at 7:05 P.M. EDT. Coverage beginning on ESPN 100.9 FM with the Loons On-Deck Circle, Built by Three Rivers at 6:35 P.M.

The Great Lakes Loons have been the 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.