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MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

No Magic for Loons on Thursday

June 28, 2018 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - In its first game back to Dow Diamond since June 14, the Great Lakes Loons were held to just five hits in a 5-1 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts on Thursday night. It was the 12th straight loss for the Loons, who are 0-8 to start the second half of the season.

The Lugnuts (7-1) were carried by starter Maximo Castillo (W, 7-2). The right-hander allowed just two hits and two walks in 5.0 innings of work. He struck out four hitters.

Brayan Morales, Carlos Rincon and Eric Peterson and Brandon Montgomery were the only Great Lakes hitters to reach base on a hit.

Lansing jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second behind an RBI single off the bat of Norberto Obeso, scoring Brandon Grudzielanek. With Victor Gonzalez (L, 0-2) as the starting pitcher for the Loons and a runner on third base, the left-hander made a throwing error trying to pick off Jesus Navarro. During the play, Obeso scampered home.

In the same at-bat, Samad Taylor hit his 15th double to right field to score Navarro for a 3-0 lead. Moments later, catcher Garrett Hope's throwing error in attempt to catch Samad Taylor went wild. The mistake pushed Lansing's edge to 4-0 in the fifth.

Samad's stolen base was his 22nd of the season.

Through 4.2 innings pitched, Gonzalez allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits. He stuck out four hitters. The Mexico native struggled in his preview outing, which was June 23 against the Lugnuts. He gave up three runs in 2.2 innings.

Right-hander James Carter received the ball from Gonzalez during the tail end of the fifth inning. He finished the inning, but then allowed one run in the sixth. Aneurys Zabala took over on the hill for the Loons in the seventh inning and was dominant to finish the game. He went 2.0 innings without a blemish. Yeison Cespedes pitched the top of the ninth in his Dow Diamond-debut.

Picking up where Castillo left off for Lansing was Kyle Weatherly. He did not miss a beat, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Brody Rodning pitched the bottom of the ninth to secure a win for the Lugnuts, but not before giving up a run on a sacrifice fly to Romer Cuadrado.

For the Lugnuts, Grudzielanek finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Obeso was 2-for-3 in the victory. In his Dow Diamond-debut for the Loons, Josh McLain went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. McLain, a left fielder, was selected in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft from North Carolina State.

The Loons continue with game two of their six-game home stand on Friday with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. The promotion is PRIDE Night featuring music by Jedi Mind Trip.

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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