LANSING, Mich. – Chase Harlan hit two home runs, the first of which capped an eight-run second inning, and the Great Lakes Loons (6-1, 42-29) staved off a comeback attempt for a 12-8 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts (0-8, 29-43) in front of a Saturday night crowd of 6,912 at JacksonⓇ Field™.
Lansing has lost 11 consecutive games, setting a new franchise record.
“It is tough, but it's a learning curve for these guys too,” manager Javier Godard said. “We all go through it at some point in our career, and they're learning. … We don't change anything. We just continue to work hard and show up, and every time you show up, it's a new day.”
The Loons scored an avalanche of runs in the second inning; a Cameron Decker RBI single, a Charles Davalan three-run double and an Eduardo Quintero RBI single chased starter Mitch Myers from the mound. GriffinKirn came in for relief, but gave up Harlan’s three-run home run, finishing off Myers’ line: six runs allowed on five hits and one walk with one strikeout in 1 2/3 innings.
Harlan’s second home run, a two-run shot in the fourth, and a solo homer from Eduardo Quintero in the sixth widened the deficit to 11-1.
But Lansing began to rally in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs off of Great Lakes reliever Reynaldo Yean; a Nate Nankil two-run homer was followed by a Carlos Franco RBI double to cut the lead to 11-4.
The home run was Nankil’s second of the season and first since April 28.
“Feels good, you know, just getting out of my own head,” Nankil said. “I just feel like I've held myself back, and just gotta keep working and grinding through it.”
After a scoreless seventh, the Lugnuts added four more runs in the bottom of the eighth. A bases-loaded double from Franco scored Jared Sprague-Lottand Nankil, a Rodney Green Jr. ground out plated Gunner Gouldsmith, and a Justin Riemer RBI single scored Franco to trim the lead to 12-8.
“We competed on the hitting side for the most part,” Godard said. “We did not give up. We got some good at-bats going, and those two innings were huge for us and gave us some momentum and gave us something to hold on to. So I don't feel that bad about this loss. I know it's 12 in a row, but I mean, at the end of the day, it's about these kids performing and getting better, so I think they did get better today.”
In the bottom of the ninth, Loons reliever Alex Makarewich walked leadoff hitter C.J. Pittaro, then handed out a one-out walk to Sprague-Lott, but recovered to induce a fielder’s choice from Nankil and flyout from Gouldsmith, sealing the win.
Franco went 2-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, three RBIs and one run scored. Sprague-Lott ended the night 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored along with two walks. Nankil went 1-for-3 with two walks, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
On the mound, Kirn finished 1 ⅔ innings, allowing four walks along with the three-run home run with a single strikeout. Gerlin Rosario pitched 2 ⅔ innings, allowing five hits and two runs (both on home runs) with two strikeouts.
Tzu-Chen Sha, Abel Mercedes and Jack Mahoney each pitched an inning to finish the game, combining for one run and two hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
Godard said that managing the morale of the team in the midst of this skid comes down to him staying positive.
“If I fall, everybody's gonna fall behind me. … At the end of the day, it's my job to be with these guys too,” Godard said. “If I let 'em down, I'm not letting myself down, but I’m letting them down in their career. I'm not allowed to do that. My job is to support in the goods and the bads, so that's what I'm here for.”
Harlan led the Loons on offense, going 4-for-5 at the plate with five RBIs, two home runs - the second of which was a two-run shot in the fourth off of Rosario - and a double in the sixth.
Starter Nathan Dettmer will finish out the series against the Loons with his second start of the homestand, opposing Great Lakes right-hander Tyler Gough. Gates open at 12 p.m. for a Capital City Kids Day with a Conservation Carnival. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.
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