MIDLAND, Mich. – Great Lakes Loons (75-54) (1-0) pitching earned a shutout, and the offense delivered three home runs in a commanding 6-0 win over the Dayton Dragons (67-63) (0-1). The Loons have a 1-0 series in the best-of-three Midwest League East Division Championship Series. Tonight’s game was on a 75-degree cloudy Tuesday night at Dow Diamond.
- The Loons did not have home runs in back-to-back at-bats in a regular season game in 2026. Eduardo Quintero and Emil Morales hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning.
- Chuck Davalan, started the bottom of the first inning with a 105 mph double to right field. Eduardo Quintero next-up blasted a 386-foot shot over the left field fence. The Dodgers No. 3 prospect longball was 105 mph off the bat.
- Emil Morales drove two runs in, featuring a 413-foot solo blast in the first inning. The no doubt homer had a 108 mph exit velocity. Nico Perez added a double and stolen base and ousted Dayton starter Edgar Colon.
- In the second inning, Great Lakes made it 5-0. Mairo Martinus began the frame with a 420-foot round tripper over the left center field fence. The Martinus mash had a 109 mph exit velo. The top of the lineup went back to work. Davalan walked on four pitches, Quintero doubled to right center and Morales plated Davalan with a sacrifice fly to left field.
- Loons pitching struck out 10 and utilized five different pitchers. Tyler Gough stranded seven Dragons on base. The right-hander struck out six, including three in the fourth inning. Gough earned the last two punchouts with the bases loaded.
- Cody Morse needed 16 pitches, allowing only one single and inducing a 5-4 fielder’s choice. The Loons turned a double play in the seventh. Dayton’s Justin Lebron singled and Robby Porco forced a lineout caught by first baseman Eduardo Guerrero who stepped on first base.
- Matt Lanzendorfer, in the eighth, took over with a 6-0 lead and two on with no outs. The left-hander struck out and forced a flyout to right field to end the inning. Dilan Figueredo closed it down in the ninth. The right-hander secured the shutout with a strikeout.
- Great Lakes tallied a run in the fifth. Nico Perez and Eduardo Guerrero each added singles and a Samuel Munoz groundout pushed a run across.
Rounding Things Out
The Loons won their 20th playoff game all-time at Dow Diamond. Their home record is now 11-9.
Up Next
Game Two of the three-game series is on Thursday, September 10th at Day Air Ballpark in Dayton, Ohio. The Loons have a 1-0 series advantage. Game two is at 7:05 p.m. ET.
The Great Lakes Loons have been 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 Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.