
Loons Earn Third Straight Win Behind Hansen's Grand Slam
June 13, 2018 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release
MIDLAND, Mich. - With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, Mitchell Hanson took a swing at a 2-1 pitch. The result was a grand slam, powering the Great Lakes Loons to a 10-5 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps on Wednesday at Dow Diamond.
With the bases loaded and nobody out in the inning, Eric Peterson worked a six-pitch walk to drive in a run and keep the bases loaded for Hansen, who drove a grand slam to right-center field for a 9-4 Loons lead. It was the first grand slam of the season for Great Lakes and Hansen's second long ball of the year.
Hansen finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate with five RBI and two runs scored. Other Loons to earn multi-hit games were Brandon Montgomery, Darrell Miller, Moises Perez and Peterson. While Great Lakes managed 14 hits, West Michigan tallied eight.
As the Whitecaps (32-34) did in game one of the series, they did score in the first inning. Reynaldo Rivera hit his 14th double of the season to center field. The 2017 second round pick by the Detroit Tigers drove in both Cole Peterson and Colby Bortles for a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, the Loons (24-40) got the runs back and took a 3-2 edge on a fielding error allowing Marcus Chiu to score, RBI single from Moises Perez and a sacrifice fly from Brayan Morales.
The Loons gave the lead back to the Whitecaps in the top of the fifth as Jose Azocar hit his first triple of the season to drive in Ulrich Bojarski and Jordan Pearce knocked in a run with a single to first base. With two runs batted in, West Michigan etched out a one-run margin.
Great Lakes starting pitcher Alfredo Tavarez went 5.0 innings in his sixth outing of the season. He allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Tavarez turned the ball over to Dan Jagiello (W, 1-1), who carried the Loons with 3.0 perfect innings of relief. He lowered his ERA to 2.45.
Hansen ripped his third double of the season on the line drive to right field, scoring Eric Peterson and tying the game in the bottom of the sixth, 4-4. The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh.
On the other side of the ball, West Michigan starter Jesus Rodriguez allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks before getting pulled from the outing. He was relieved by Felix Viloria (L, 1-1), a left-hander.
After allowing the grand slam to Hansen, Viloria's night was done on the mound. He turned the ball over to Clate Schmidt, who allowed two hits and pegged a batter to re-load the bases before escaping the inning.
The following inning featured another homer for the Loons. Chiu went deep on Tuesday and did it again Wednesday off Schmidt to center field, increasing his team's lead to six runs. Chiu's home run was his ninth of the season, tying him for second-most in the Midwest League.
Aneurys Zabala entered the game in the top of the ninth and allowed a run to the Whitecaps on a triple from Bojarski, but the Loons still held a 10-5 edge with two outs. Zabala got Cole Peterson to ground out to first base, ending the game.
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.
Midwest League Stories from June 13, 2018
- Dragons Top Cubs 2-1 to Win Series - South Bend Cubs
- LumberKings fall in come from behind fashion - Clinton LumberKings
- River Bandits Rally, Pick up Crucial 5-4 Win over Clinton - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Snappers Edge Chiefs 4-3 - Peoria Chiefs
- 'Caps Lose Fourth Straight - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Loons Earn Third Straight Win Behind Hansen's Grand Slam - Great Lakes Loons
- Dragons Pitchers Shine in 2-1 Win at South Bend - Dayton Dragons
- Hot Rods Split Two Games with TinCaps, both 4-3 - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Bees Edge Rattlers 1-0 - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Captains Romp to Second Straight Win - Lake County Captains
- Snappers to Close out First Half with a Bang - Beloit Sky Carp
- TinCaps Game Notes: June 13 at Bowling Green (Games 64 & 65) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Noda Homers Again, and So Does Lundquist - But Nuts Fall, 11-3 - Lansing Lugnuts
- Chisholm's Homer Ignites Offense - Kane County Cougars
- Cougars Win Wednesday Matinee - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Dragons Notes for Wednesday - Dayton Dragons
- Loehr and Bullpen Lead Snappers in 6-3 Win - Beloit Sky Carp
- Isaacs Does It Again - Captains Walk-Off Lugnuts - Lake County Captains
- Traver's Solid Start Along with Del Rosario's Relief Outing Earns Burlington the Victory - Burlington Bees
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Great Lakes Loons Stories
- Tonight's Loons Game Postponed, Doubleheader Set for Thursday
- Cubs Crush Loons 11-3
- Wagner's Walk-Off Winner Gives Great Lakes Series Win
- Manzanas Luchadoras Topple Pepinillos Picantes Del Norte 6-2 on Copa Saturday
- Vetrano Knocks Grand Slam, Six RBI in Loons' 10-4 Win

