Dicochea deals, but Loons tip Lugs

MIDLAND, Mich. – Jose Dicochea fired five innings of one-hit ball, but the Great Lakes Loons (34-23, 70-51) defeated the Lansing Lugnuts (24-33, 53-68) for the fourth straight game, 3-2, on Friday evening at Dow Diamond.

The Loons managed only three hits in the game, but they made them count: an Emil Morales two-run homer off of Dicochea in the fourth, and a Jaron Elkins double and Mairo Martinus go-ahead RBI single off Tzu-Chen Sha in the seventh.

Making his second start of the season after moving to the rotation from the bullpen, Dicochea mowed through the first ten Loons before walking Eduardo Quintero and allowing Morales’s drive to center.

The Tucson native was unbowed, setting down Elkins and Eduardo Guerrero to finish the fourth, and then worked around a two-out walk in a hitless fifth, striking out Anson Aroz, the final batter he faced, for his third strikeout.

The Nuts’ offense, meanwhile, tallied a run in the first inning off a Cam Leiter wild pitch, then tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning on a C.J. Pittaro RBI groundout off Robby Porco, but could manage nothing more.

Lansing has lost 12 of its last 14 road games.

Left fielder Jake Reinisch went 1-for-2 with a single, two walks and a run scored, extending his on-base streak to 37 games.

Third baseman Daniel Bucciero, who reached on an error and scored the first-inning run, finished the game 0-for-5 to end his own on-base streak at 23 games.

Lugnuts right-hander Jorge Marcheco duels with Loons right-hander Tyler Gough at 7:05 p.m. Saturday in the penultimate road game of the season.

The Nuts return to JacksonⓇ Field™ from September 1-6 to host the San Diego Padres-affiliate Fort Wayne TinCaps in the last series of 2026. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.

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