Great Lakes announces extension of partnership with Dodgers; win 6-1
After dropping two straight for the first time in the second-half of play, the Great Lakes Loons responded Saturday night with a 6-1 win over the Lansing Lugnuts in front of a Dow Diamond sell-out crowd of 5,918.
MIDLAND (AP) -- The Loons scored two runs in the first inning on a bases-clearing double off the wall in centerfield by Angelo Songco. Scoring on the play was Nick Buss, who led off with a single, and Rafael Ynoa, who reached base on a Ryan Schimpf fielding error.
"It's real big [to score first]," Songco, who finished with two RBI, said after the win. "You definitely want the momentum throughout the game, and we were able to keep it going."
Loons starting pitcher Allen Webster agreed and said that the early lead, mixed with quality pitching, allowed him to limit the Lugnuts to one run on five hits for his league-leading 11th win of the season.
"It helped me stay smooth the whole game knowing we had the lead the whole time," he said. "I felt good and my fastball was good. I was throwing it for strikes. My change-up was good and the defense was really good behind me and made a lot of plays."
Webster's one run allowed was a Brad Glenn solo homer in the fourth that cut the Loons lead in half. That was the only run allowed to Lansing all night, as Loons reliever Jordan Roberts came in to pitch for the final three scoreless innings, notching his third save.
Glenn's homer was matched by third baseman Brian Ruggiano, who sent the ball deep to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 3-1. The Loons continued to roll, finding one run in the sixth on a J.T. Wise single to score Brian Cavazos-Galvez from third; and then two more in the eighth. Wise hit an RBI-double in the inning and scored on a single by Jaime Ortiz.
Lansing starting pitcher Dave Sever (4-8) was charged with the loss, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits over six innings.
The Loons (74-36) will play game two of four against Lansing Sunday at 3:05 p.m. Starting for the Loons will be LHP Greg Wilborn (1-0, 4.76) against the Lugnuts righty Ryan Tepera (9-5, 3.37). Dow Diamond will host Faith Day at the park, as well as another Family Fun in the SUNday with post-game kids run the bases.
The Great Lakes Loons are a fourth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League. For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
