Aiello HBP lifts Lugs in walk-off, 5-4

Nuts rally in 7th, 8th and 9th to beat TinCaps

(Miguel Arcaute / Lansing Lugnuts)

By Jesse Goldberg-Strassler

April 7, 2019

LANSING, Mich. - The Lansing Lugnuts (2-2) rallied from deficits in each of the final three innings, walking off with a 5-4 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (2-2) on Johnny Aiello 's bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the ninth on Sunday afternoon at Cooley Law School Stadium.The Lugnuts and TinCaps split the

LANSING, Mich. - The Lansing Lugnuts (2-2) rallied from deficits in each of the final three innings, walking off with a 5-4 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (2-2) on Johnny Aiello 's bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the ninth on Sunday afternoon at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The Lugnuts and TinCaps split the four-game home-and-home series to open the season.

The TinCaps brought a 1-0 lead to bottom of the seventh, thanks to Justin Lopez's sixth-inning RBI single - only to see Hagen Danner 's second home run in as many days, a drive to straightaway center, tie the score.

Fort Wayne responded with two runs in the eighth inning for a 3-1 lead, aided by an Otto Lopez throwing error - but Lopez redeemed himself with a two-out, two-run, game-tying homer to left field in the bottom of the eighth.

In the ninth, Tucupita Marcano's RBI single put the TinCaps back in front, 4-3 - and then the Lugnuts went back to work.

Alejandro Kirk led off the bottom of the ninth with a single off reliever Dan Dallas and was replaced by pinch-runner Reggie Pruitt . Carlos Belen (Blown Save, 1; Loss, 0-1) relieved Dallas and gave up a single to Ryan Gold, moving Pruitt to third base. A wild pitch sent Gold to second, causing Fort Wayne to intentionally walk Danner. Belen then uncorked a second wild pitch, scoring Pruitt with the tying run. Nick Podkul was intentionally walked, refilling the bases, before Belen drilled Aiello with an inside fastball to force home Gold and end the game.

It was the second time in the game that Aiello had been hit by a pitch.

Lansing starter Sean Wymer turned in a professional high six innings in a no-decision, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out four. Reliever Marcus Reyes gave up two runs, one earned, in two innings. Mike Pascoe (Win, 1-1) pitched the ninth, allowing Marcano's RBI single.

The Lugnuts only had two official at-bats in the game with a runner in scoring position. Fort Wayne, meanwhile, collected 10 hits and two walks and went 4-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

The Nuts welcome in the West Michigan Whitecaps on Monday at 6:05 p.m., continuing their six-game homestand with the start of a four-game series against their archrivals from Comstock Park. Right-hander Cobi Johnson , the Blue Jays' 30th-round draft pick in 2018, will make his Lugnuts debut.

To purchase tickets and live the Lug Life at Cooley Law School Stadium, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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