Slugfest victory pulls Nuts within one game of 1st

LANSING, Mich. – The Lansing Lugnuts (20-18) overcame an early 8-2 deficit with 11 unanswered runs, nine in the third inning alone, on their way to an epic 15-11 victory over the Lake County Captains (21-17) on Saturday night at Jackson® Field™.

Combined with a loss by Great Lakes to Dayton, the Lugnuts now trail co-division leaders Lake County and Great Lakes by only one game in the Midwest League East Division.

The game was grueling. Nine innings took a season-long three hours and 50 minutes, and featured 26 combined runs, 30 hits, 17 walks and 423 total pitches.

The Captains knocked out Lansing starter Jacob Watters after only five outs. Nate Furman led off his second straight game with a home run – answered by a leadoff homer from Jonny Butler in the home half – and the Caps followed up with six second-inning runs followed by a Furman RBI single in the third off Garrett Irvin, building a six-run lead.

But the Nuts knocked out Lake County starter Parker Messick in the bottom of the third, sending 12 batters to the plate and collecting seven hits, foremost among them a Danny Bautista, Jr three-run homer and an Euribiel Ángeles two-run triple.

An inning later, Colby Halter blasted a two-run homer off Allan Hernández for a 13-8 lead.

The Lugnuts wrapped up their highest-scoring day of the season with two runs in the seventh against Zane Morehouse and Steve Hajjar, thanks to a Henry Bolte RBI fielder’s choice and Ángeles RBI groundout.

The final output was remarkably balanced: No Lugnuts hitter scored fewer than one run or more than two runs, just as no hitter collected fewer than one hit or more than two hits. Ángeles, Halter and Bautista, Jr. each notched three RBIs.

After Watters allowed seven runs on five hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings, Garrett Irvin tossed 2 1/3 innings with three strikeouts, allowing one run on five hits and three walks; Dylan Hall worked 2 1/3 innings with a strikeout, giving up an unearned run on two hits and three walks; and Colton Johnson handled the final 2 2/3 innings with two strikeouts, allowing four hits and two runs.

Lake County stranded 14 runners on base, going down 1-2-3 in only one inning: the top of the ninth against Johnson.

The Lugnuts, winners of seven of their last eight games, go for a fifth victory in the six-game series in the Sunday finale at 1:05 p.m. on a Capital City Market Kids Day. Right-hander Blaze Pontes starts for the Nuts against Lake County right-hander Carter Spivey. Gates open at 12 noon. For tickets and further information, visit milb.com/lansing or call (517) 485-4500.

# # #