MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Loons Hit Parade Continues in Home Opener

Published on April 8, 2014 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - How good has the Great Lakes Loons offense been?

Good enough that they scored eight runs in a triumphant home opener Tuesday and it was actually less than their average through four games.

Not that anyone was complaining during Dow Diamond's Opening Day. The Loons pounded out an 8-4 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels that showcased an offense that scored 34 runs in their four-game season-opening series in Fort Wayne.

They also showcased another solid pitching performance, this time from Greg Harris, and improved to 4-1 on the season in front of 2,827 home fans. The crowd included Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda, who addressed the crowd just prior to the first pitch.

"It was a great crowd on a relatively cold night," said first-year Loons manager Bill Haselman. "They were loud and into it, and it was a good atmosphere."

The Loons were loud offensively early on. First baseman Justin Chigbogu lined a two-run homer over the right field fence off Cedar Rapids starter Felix Jorge in the second inning for the game's first runs. Dillon Moyer doubled in another run in the same inning for a 3-0 lead.

The lead grew to 4-0 in the third on Paul Hoenecke's double. And that was plenty of support for Harris, who battled out of a first-inning jam with back-to-back strikeouts with runners on second and third. He gave up a run in the fourth, but that was all. He finished with six strikeouts in five innings for a strong Loons debut.

"He was great," said catcher Kyle Farmer. "He had all three of his pitches working. His changeup was excellent."

The Loons added another run in the fourth when Jesmuel Valentin walked, took third on another Moyer double, then scored on a wild pitch. They blew the game open with a three-run sixth that featured a two-run triple by Farmer.

"They've shown in the last week that what they did in spring training is paying off," said Haselman of his team's hitters. "They've had a great approach at the plate, and they're also running the bases really well and taking advantage of opportunities."

Cedar Rapids hit two home runs off of Loons reliever Francisco Villa - a solo shot by Bryan Haar in the sixth, and a 410-foot two-run bomb to straightaway center by Jeremias Pineda in the seventh. But Great Lakes reliever Mark Pope pitched two scoreless innings to close out the win.

Rightfielder Joey Curletta finished with three hits for the Loons while Farmer, Valentin and Moyer each had two.

The Loons and Kernels resume their series at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday at Dow Diamond. Right-hander Jonathan Martinez, coming off an impressive start in last Thursday's season-opener in For Wayne, gets the start for the Loons. Martinez pitched six scoreless innings against the TinCaps while striking out a career-high 11 batters.

Martinez will be opposed by the Kernels' Aaron Siegers, the 2013 Big Ten Conference Pitcher of the Year. He'll be making his first start of the 2014 season.

Wednesday's game will include the first installment of the Loons new promotion, Hump Day Happy Hour. The promotion features $2 specials on 16 oz. domestic draft beers from the time gates open to 1 hour after the published game time.

The Great Lakes Loons are an eighth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. For tickets and more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com, or call 989-837-BALL.

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Midwest League Stories from April 8, 2014


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.

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