Sports stats

MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Rodríguez Powers Loons to Win

April 24, 2018 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - For the first time this season, the Great Lakes Loons finished a game at Dow Diamond in the win column, earning a 5-0 victory against the Fort Wayne TinCaps behind a superstar performances from Nick Yarnall and Ramón Rodríguez.

The Loons (4-12) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a run-scoring single from Yarnall, who was recently named the Midwest League Player of the Week. The 35th round pick out of the University of Pittsburgh has been scorching hot through the first three weeks of the season hitting .360 with five extra-base-hits and 10 RBI.

In the following inning, Rodríguez blasted a 3-2 pitch for a three-run homer against TinCaps (7-12) starter Aaron Leasher (L, 1-1). Rodríguez tagged Leasher again in the fourth inning with an RBI single to give Great Lakes a 5-0 edge. The young catching prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers went 2-for-3 with four RBI in the game and upped is season batting average to .345.

Leasher, a graduate of nearby Mt. Pleasant High School with a solid cheering section in attendance, was pulled from the game after 3.1 innings of work. He gave up five runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

Jesus Vargas (W, 2-0), the starter for the Loons, allowed three hits and one walk in 5.0 scoreless innings. Esteury Ruiz and Luis Campusano were the only Fort Wayne players to earn a hit against Vargas. Dan Jagiello and Aneurys Zabala each pitched two innings of relief to close out the first shutout of the season.

Both teams are back in action on Wednesday night at 6:05 p.m. in Midland before the series concludes with the first School Kids Day of the season on Thursday morning. Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. with first pitch slated for 10:35 a.m.

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.

Check out the Great Lakes Loons Statistics



Midwest League Stories from April 24, 2018


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



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central