MWL Great Lakes Loons

Camels Rally Snubbed, Series Even

Published on August 19, 2021 under Midwest League (MWL)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, MI - A six-game series was evened Wednesday night between Great Lakes (48-44) and Lansing (44-48), as the Lugnuts scored eight runs on 13 hits to clip the Camels, 8-5. Great Lakes, playing in a Camels takeover presented by the Fisher Companies, struck out 15 times in the Wednesday defeat.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Leonel Valera hit a ball 403 feet off the bottom of the center field wall at Dow Diamond to score three runs, drawing Lansing's lead to one. The Lugnuts insured their Wednesday win with a pair of two-out RBI knocks in the eighth and ninth inning to even the series at a game apiece.

The top five Great Lakes hitters failed to record a hit in 15 combined trips to the plate, with Andy Pages producing the only action with a walk and run scored. Lansing's Colin Peluse (W, 7-3) began the effort with seven strikeouts in six innings, allowing two runs on an Eddys Leonard two-run blast. With his third HR at the High-A level, Leonard extended his hitting streak to 11 games with Great Lakes, also reaching base safely in his last 13 games.

Leonard led Great Lakes at the plate with a 3-for-4 night, scoring twice in his three trips on base. In his 12 games, Leonard is averaging .349 at the plate and has amassed a 1.032 OPS.

Great Lakes starter Jesus Vargas (L, 5-5) held Lansing scoreless on one hit and a walk through three innings. In the fourth, he gave up six earned runs and allowed the Lugnuts to erase a two-run deficit and take a 6-2 lead. The first five batters to the plate in the fourth reached safely for Lansing, highlighted by back-to-back doubles from Austin Beck and William Simoneit.

The middle Lansing hitters of Beck, Simoneit and Jordan Diaz powered the Lugnuts attack, combining for eight of the 13 hits and driving in four of the eight runs in the Wednesday win.

The Camels mounted a bit of a comeback on Lansing's reliever Leudeny Pineda, beginning in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back hits from Leonard and Jonny DeLuca. Following a strikeout, Joe Vranesh walked to load the bases for Valera, who knocked his sixth triple of the season to score three runs.

Pineda exited with one out recorded, responsible for three runs on three hits. Garrett Acton then dominated the next 1 2/3 innings, facing five batters and sitting them all down on strikeouts. Charles Hall ended the night with a scoreless ninth, finishing his outing with two strikeouts and earning his seventh save of the season.

With a deadlocked series, Great Lakes and Lansing feature a pair of right-handers in the projected pitching matchup in a Thursday night contest, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 P.M. EDT at Dow Diamond. Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Gavin Stone climbs the hill for his High-A debut on Thursday, earning the promotion after being named Low-A West Pitcher of the Week with Rancho Cucamonga. Stone has 101 strikeouts in 70 innings approaching his 18th start of the year. Lansing has right-hander Shohei Tomioka penciled to take the mound in his 20th appearance of 2021.

Gates open for Thirsty Thursday, presented by Miller Lite, at 6:05 P.M. EDT, with coverage beginning with the Loons On-Deck Circle, Built by Three Rivers at 6:35 P.M. EDT.

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.

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Midwest League Stories from August 19, 2021


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