Peluse dazzles, Díaz delivers in 3-1 win

LANSING, Mich. – Colin Peluse was overpowering for six scoreless innings, Jordan Díaz supplied a pair of RBI singles, and the Lansing Locos (37-40) won their third straight game, 3-1 over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (35-42) on a Copa de la Diversión Saturday night at Jackson® Field™.

A day after the two teams played nine innings in four hours and two minutes, they wrapped this one up in a tidy two hours and 28 minutes, thanks largely to tremendous pitching.

Peluse turned in his best performance of the season, striking out six, walking none, and scatter four hits and one HBP. Fort Wayne mustered only one serious threat against him, loading the bases with two outs in the fourth, only to see Peluse blow away Luis Almanzar with a fastball.

20-year-old TinCaps starter Carlos Guarate pitched capably himself, working five innings and allowing only two runs – but that proved enough. In the third inning, Cobie Vance and Patrick McColl led off with consecutive singles, and Austin Beck followed with a sacrifice fly to bring in the game’s first run. Two batters later, Díaz smashed an RBI single up the middle to give the Locos a 2-0 lead.

Lansing added an insurance run against reliever Sam Williams in the sixth, thanks to a William Simoneit leadoff triple and a Díaz grounder through the middle of a drawn-in infield.

Debuting Locos right-hander Norge Ruíz pitched the seventh and eighth innings, allowing a Reinaldo Ilarraza sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Dalton Sawyer then wrapped up the ninth in perfect fashion, inducing two flyouts and a groundout.

The 20-year-old Díaz led the Lansing offense with a 3-for-4 showing, raising his batting average to .283. He finished July with a .326 average and .902 OPS. For his part, leadoff hitter Vance singled, doubled and walked in four plate appearances.

Lansing will go for a series victory and a fourth straight win in the series finale, a Capital City Market Kids Day at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, playing as the Black Rhinos in celebrating 19-month-old Jaali at Potter Park Zoo. Right-hander Shohei Tomioka (4.40 ERA) makes the start against TinCaps left-hander Danny Denz (3.09). To purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

# # #