MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (72-53) (36-25) tallied 13 runs and 17 hits in a 13-7 rout of the Lake County Captains (68-56) (31-29) on a partly cloudy 88-degree Wednesday night at Classic Auto Group Park.
- Emil Morales went 5-for-6, with a home run and four RBI. Morales mashed a first-inning longball, his 20th in 78 games with the Loons. The 19-year-old had an RBI single in the fifth and the sixth and RBI double in the seventh. The Dodgers No. 4 prospect added a single in the ninth for his first five-hit game of his pro career. MiLB’s RBI king now has 119 in 2026.
- Great Lakes scored three runs in the fifth inning, three runs in the sixth inning and four runs in the seventh inning. Eduardo Quintero doubled to begin the fifth, Emil Morales drove him home. Nico Perez singled next to put runners on the corners. A Conner Whittaker wild pitch pushed Morales across. With one out, Eduardo Guerrero lined a ball up the left field line and RBI double to make it 6-1.
- In the sixth, the Loons tallied four singles in a row. Chuck Davalan and Eduardo Quintero struck for infield hits. Emil Morales grounded a ball to left field. Nico Perez next-up rifled a ball into right field to plate two runs.
- The first four Great Lakes batters reached in the seventh. Mairo Martinus walked on four pitches from Luis Flores. Samuel Munoz and Gio Cueto had back-to-back knocks, Cueto added his second RBI of the night. A Flores wild pitch made it 11-1. Morales ousted the left-hander with an RBI double. Nico Perez greeted Xavier Martinez with a first-pitch line drive RBI single into center field.
- Loons pitching totaled 16 strikeouts. Will Gagnon punched out seven in four innings. Anthony Martinez solo home run in the fourth inning got Lake County on the board. The Captains were held to one run and three hits through the first seven innings. Maddux Bruns struck out five, all four of his outs were K’s with a dropped third strike in the sixth. Bruns earned the win.
- The Captains’ tallied six runs in the final two innings. Seamus Barrett did not gain an out after getting the final two in relief in the seventh. Dauri Fernandez started the eighth with a solo home run. Two singles and three walks aided the next four runs. Justin Chambers entered to gain the three outs. Jose Pirela’s RBI double cut the deficit to six in the ninth, Chambers stranded two to close it.
Rounding Things Out
West Michigan beat Dayton 14-6. The Loons have a 1.5 game lead over the Whitecaps and are 4.5 up on the Captains in the Midwest League East Division second half standings. Great Lakes has five games remaining this season, their magic number is four.
Up Next
Great Lakes and Lake County play a doubleheader tomorrow Thursday, September 3rd. The first pitch of the twinbill is at 4:00 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.