Loons Stay Hot on Offense, Club Three Homers in Series Opening Win

MIDLAND, Mich. – The last time the Great Lakes Loons began a home series, they and the Peoria Chiefs combined for 15 hits, only one for extra bases.

In the series opening game Tuesday against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Dow Diamond, five of the Loons’ first six hits went for extra bases, and three of them left the yard.

Great Lakes tallied at least a dozen runs for the fourth time in the last five games, blowing out Fort Wayne, 13-2, to kick off a 12-game homestand. The Loons become the first Midwest League team to reach 70 wins this season.

The Loons (70-45, 30-19 second half) started strong with a four-run first inning. Damon Keith walked to begin the frame, moved to second on a groundout, then scored on an RBI double from Eddys Leonard. Jorbit Vivas singled to put two men on for Jose Ramos, who clubbed his 18th homer of the season with Great Lakes and his 24th of the season overall. That put the Loons ahead, 4-0.

Fort Wayne (45-69, 18-30) cut the deficit in half in the next frame on a two-run shot from Agustín Ruiz, his fifth of the season with the TinCaps and his seventh of the year overall, making the score 4-2.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, followed that up with another crooked number in the third. Leonard led off the frame with a homer, his 13th of the season. Ramos walked, then Imanol Vargas smacked a two-run blast out to right field, putting the Loons in front, 7-2. All seven of those runs were earned to Bodi Rascon (L, 0-2).

The TinCaps, High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, couldn’t muster anything against the Loons relievers. Right-hander Aldry Acosta (W, 1-1) pitched 2 1-3 scoreless frames, allowing just one hit while striking out two. Ben Harris followed that up with two shutout innings, facing the minimum with just one walk allowed, picking up a strikeout as well. Julian Smith loaded the bases in the ninth inning, but got out of it with no damage done.

One run scored for the Loons in the sixth inning on no hits – a pair of walks and a balk got the job done. In the eighth inning, they scored five more, but just two earned because of a pair of errors. Four singles and two walks in the eighth inning helped Great Lakes, plus an RBI double from Keith, to give the home side its final 13-2 margin.

The Loons collected 13 or more hits for the fifth straight game – on Tuesday, exactly 13 hits from just six players, five of whom collected a multi-hit game. Leonard, Ramos and Ismael Alcantara all went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks. Vivas and Vargas both went 3-for-5. All three of Vivas’s hits were singles; Vargas had a single, double and a homer. Keith had one hit and three walks.

Great Lakes and Fort Wayne continue the six-game set Wednesday at Dow Diamond after the Loons improve to 9-4 in the season series against the TinCaps. The two teams are on opposite trajectories at the moment – Great Lakes has won 10 of its last 12, while Fort Wayne has now dropped 11 of 12. Carlos Duran (1-2, 4.41 ERA) gets the start for the Loons, opposing fellow right-hander Efraín Contreras (0-3, 5.31 ERA) for Fort Wayne. On ESPN 100.9-FM, pregame coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

At Dow Diamond, it’s another Paws and Claws night, presented by White Claw – enjoy 50% off White Claws all night long, plus bring your furry four-legged friend with you to the ballpark. 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.