MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Loons Bully Whitecaps Again

August 26, 2018 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. - On a steamy Sunday afternoon, the Loons pushed aside the West Michigan Whitecaps, 4-2, to win their sixth straight game and clinch the four-game series at Fifth Third Ballpark a day early.

The Loons have one of the best records in all of professional baseball in the month of August; at 19-6, the mark trails only the St. Louis Cardinals (19-5) and the Dominican Summer League Rockies (20-2).

Deacon Liput keyed the Loons' offense in the early-going on Sunday: the Dodgers' 10th-round pick scored a run in the first inning on Devin Mann's RBI double and drove in another run in the second inning to put the Loons up 2-0.

West Michigan scored its first run of the series, ending a 21-inning drought, in the fourth inning, but never tied the game.

With the score 2-1 in the fifth, 19-year-old Jacob Amaya smacked his first home run in Loons' uniform to nudge the lead to 3-1. Playing in his 22nd game since his call-up from Rookie-Advanced Ogden, Amaya finished a triple shy of the cycle in his first three-hit effort with Great Lakes.

After the Whitecaps scored their second and final run in the sixth inning, the Loons' bullpen pitched shut-down ball the rest of the way. Left-hander Austin Drury preserved his unblemished ERA with an inning and two-thirds Sunday to extend his shutout streak to 15 frames. Stephen Kolek faced the minimum over the final two innings and added three punch-outs. Kolek has allowed two runs in 25 1/3 innings this season for the Loons.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps also lost on Sunday, which means the TinCaps and Whitecaps are both 3 1/2 games behind the Loons with seven games remaining in the regular season. The Loons' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is four.

Before a day off on Tuesday, the Loons return to Fifth Third Ballpark on Monday night for the series finale against West Michigan. First pitch is at 7:05 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 26, 2018


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