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McDonald ties franchise record with 3 HR in 10-3 victory

June 30, 2022

EASTLAKE, OH – Jared McDonald homered in each of his first three at-bats to tie the franchise single game record, and the Lansing Lugnuts (1-5, 26-46) ended a season high seven-game losing streak with a resounding 10-3 victory over the host Lake County Captains (3-3, 38-34) on Thursday night at

EASTLAKE, OH – Jared McDonald homered in each of his first three at-bats to tie the franchise single game record, and the Lansing Lugnuts (1-5, 26-46) ended a season high seven-game losing streak with a resounding 10-3 victory over the host Lake County Captains (3-3, 38-34) on Thursday night at Classic Park.

Euribiel Ángeles added four hits for the Lugnuts, who scored ten runs for the second consecutive game.

Two outs into the first inning, Tyler Soderstrom drew a walk from Captains starter Mason Hickman. Designated hitter McDonald, batting in the cleanup slot for the fourth time in 2022, drove the very next pitch off the lawn above the wall in right-center for a 2-0 lead.

Two innings later, Gabriel Maciel dropped down a bunt single and Soderstrom reached again, this time on a dropped third strike and a wild pitch. Hickman fell behind McDonald 3-and-1 before the Western Oregon product duplicated his first-inning feat with a blast to right-center, giving the Lugnuts a 5-0 lead.

A Johnathan Rodriguez solo home run in the fourth put the Captains on the board, only to see the Lugnuts answer in a familiar fashion in the fifth. Soderstrom took a leadoff walk from reliever Jaime Arias. Arias tossed two balls into McDonald before watching his third pitch get launched to left of the batter’s eye in center for a 7-1 lead.

With those three swings, McDonald increased his home run total from four to seven; increased his RBI total from 17 to 24; and became the fourth Lugnuts hitter in franchise history to hit three roundtrippers in one game. The last was Jason Dubois on August 30, 2001. McDonald came one RBI shy of tying that franchise single game record, set twice before.

McDonald came up twice more, grounding to shortstop in the sixth and receiving a four-pitch walk from Matt Turner in the eighth.

Ángeles, who went 4-for-5 with two singles and two doubles, added an RBI double; Joshwan Wright went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI single; and Drew Swift went 1-for-5 with a walk and an RBI single to supply the rest of the Lugnuts’ offense. Catcher Soderstrom, on base for all three blasts, finished 1-for-2 with a single, two walks and three runs scored.

On the other side, the Lugnuts’ pitchers held up their end of the bargain. Joey Estes limited the Caps to solely Rodriguez’s home run in five innings, striking out five while allowing three hits in total and two walks. Brock Whittlesey handled a scoreless sixth and seventh and Angello Infante pitched the eighth and ninth, allowing a Joe Naranjo two-run homer.

Right-hander Blake Beers (3.10 ERA) starts the fourth game of the six-game series, opposed by Lake County lefty Rodney Boone (6.75 ERA) at 7 p.m. Friday.

The next Lugnuts home game will be on the 4th of July, the biggest day of the baseball season, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. against Great Lakes followed by an Independence Day LAFCU Fireworks Spectacular. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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