Morales Drives in Three, Loons Pitching K’s 10 and Walks None in 7-3 Win

DAYTON, Ohio. – The Great Lakes Loons (28-18) offense added early, and pitching sustained the advantage in a 7-3 win over the Dayton Dragons (27-22) on a sunny 78-degree partly cloudy Friday night at Day Air Ballpark.

- Emil Morales has nine RBI in this series and 14 through his first seven games as a Loon. Tonight, he cleared the bases with a double that one hopped the wall in right field in the second inning. The 19-year-old has four extra bases, this week.
- The top of the second was a five-run frame for Great Lakes. Kole Myers walked and Nico Perez singled. With two outs, four Loons batters reached in a row. Jose Izarra was hit by a 2-2 pitch, Jose Hernandez and Eduardo Quintero both drew five-pitch walks with the bases loaded. Izarra, Hernandez and Quintero scored on Morales’ double. The double ousted Dayton starter Kyle McCoy.

- Christian Zazueta struck out two through his first two scoreless innings. The Dragons pulled within two, with a three-run bottom of the third. Carlos Sanchez singled into right field and was plated by an Alfredo Duno two-run homer. Duno’s demolition of a ball, went 487 feet. Kien Vu then tripled off the centerfield fence. A groundout scored him. Zazueta retired the next four.

- Alex Makarewich finished the fifth with a fielder’s choice and strikeout. The right-hander struck out the side in a dominant 14-pitch sixth inning. Nicolas Cruz punched out three over two innings. The 22-year-old induced a double play groundout to end the eighth.

- Dayton had just two baserunners in the final four innings. Loons’ reliever Matt Lanzendorfer worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

- Great Lakes added insurance in the sixth and ninth inning. Jose Meza belted a David Lorduy pitch 412 feet over the left field fence. Meza has a homer in back-to-back games. Jose Izarra reached in the ninth on an infield single, he stole second and two wild pitches brought him home.

Rounding Things Out

Tonight was the second game this season that Loons pitching did not allow a walk. The first was a 2-0 win on April 14th at Dow Diamond over the Dayton Dragons.

Up Next

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 30th, Great Lakes faces Dayton at 7:05 p.m. ET. The Loons have a three-game lead over the Dragons in the Midwest League East Division. The first half of the season ends on Thursday, June 18th.

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.