Decker HR spoils Avant gem, lifts Loons past Lugs

MIDLAND, Mich. – Corey Avant struck out six in six scoreless innings, but Cam Decker homered off Jack Mahoney to power the Great Lakes Loons (9-7, 43-38) past the Lansing Lugnuts (7-9, 43-39), 3-2, on Tuesday night at Dow Diamond.

The opener of the six-game series was completed in a brisk two hours and seven minutes.

The early story of the game was the continued breakthrough performance of Lansing’s 23-year-old right-hander, making a name for himself in his first season as a regular starting pitcher.

Complementing an upper-90s fastball with an effective slider, Avant struck out Dodgers prospects Zyhir Hope and Jake Gelof twice apiece and finished with strikeouts of Kendall George and Logan Wagner in a perfect sixth inning. In between, he limited the Loons to four singles and one walk, finishing his outing in an efficient 76 pitches.

Behind a fourth-inning RBI single from Rodney Green, Jr. and a sixth-inning RBI single from Nate Nankil, the Lugnuts brought a 2-0 lead to the bottom of the seventh. But new reliever Mahoney walked Hope and gave up a single to Gelof. Decker followed with a drive to left to give the Loons the lead. It was his second straight game with a home run in the seventh inning for Great Lakes.

Cam Day, Joseilyn Gonzalez and Carson Hobbs blanked the Lugnuts from there, handing the hosts a series-opening win.

19-year-old Lansing southpaw Wei-En Lin makes his first Midwest League start on Wednesday, taking on Loons right-hander Payton Martin at 7:05 p.m.
The Lugnuts next return to action at home for a three-game series vs. West Michigan, July 18-20. Tickets are available for purchase at the stadium box office, (517) 485-4500 or online at milb.com/lansing.

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