Morales Hits Homer and Loons Pitching K’s 14, Great Lakes Wins Fifth Straight

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (70-51) (34-23) won their fifth straight game, with pitching striking out 14 Lansing Lugnuts (53-68) (24-33) and an Emil Morales home run in a 3-2 win on a 75-degree sunny Friday night at Dow Diamond.

- The Loons had three hits, two drove in runs. In the fourth inning, Eduardo Quintero walked on five pitches, the first Great Lakes batter aboard in the contest. Emil Morales next-up hammered a 413-foot home run over the centerfield wall. The blast was 109 mph off the bat.

- Great Lakes starter Cam Leiter struck out four over three innings. The right-hander saw one run come across; it was unearned. The Loons committed two errors in the first inning.

- After a 1-2-3 fifth inning, Lansing earned two walks and double off Robby Porco. He earned a strikeout to finish his outing. Matt Lanzendorfer got the next two outs; a groundout tied the game. Lansing left eight on base and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

- Great Lakes took the advantage in the seventh. Jaron Elkins doubled to left-center field. Eduardo Guerrero put down a sacrifice bunt. Mairo Martinus followed with an RBI single into left field. The go-ahead run came off Lansing reliever Tzu-Chen Sha.

- Lanzendorfer spun a scoreless seventh and eighth inning. Davis Chastain struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning. The right-hander earned his ninth save of the season and second of the series.

Rounding Things Out

West Michigan lost to Peoria 3-1 and Lake County lost to Cedar Rapids 8-3 today. The Loons now have a 2.5 game lead over the Whitecaps and are 4.5 games up on the Captains in the Midwest League East Division second half standings. Great Lakes has nine games remaining this season, their magic number is seven.

Up Next

Saturday night is Michigander Night featuring the Michigan Dogmen. Dow Diamond will be bringing Northern Michigan folklore to life, presented by Founders Grove Classical Academy. Postgame features a Fireworks Loontacular presented by Farm Bureau Insurance. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET.

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.