Aiello homers again in Lugs' 3-2 loss

LANSING, Mich. - Johnny Aiello homered for the second straight game, but the Lansing Lugnuts (13-12, 45-49) opened a six-game homestand with a 3-2 loss to the Burlington Bees (11-14, 50-45) on Wednesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

Both LJ Talley and Reggie Pruitt reached base four times as the Lugnuts collected eight hits, four walks and an HBP - but went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners on base in the one-run loss.

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Aiello smoked his fourth home run of the season to left field, a 395-foot shot, to give the Lugnuts a 1-0 lead. Talley followed with a double to left and Pruitt followed with an RBI single to left for a two-run lead.

The Bees responded with their only run-scoring rally of the game, talling three runs - two of which were unearned - in the top of the fifth against Nuts starter Sean Wymer (Loss, 5-8) on a throwing error by third baseman Aiello, a pair of singles from Kevin Maitan and Spencer Griffin, a throwing error by center fielder Pruitt, a run-scoring wild pitch and a Francisco Del Valle RBI groundout.

The visitors were silenced otherwise by the combination of starter Wymer, who finished five full innings with four strikeouts; Marcus Reyes , who tossed three scoreless innings with four strikeouts of his own; and Justin Watts , who worked around a double in a scoreless ninth.

But the Lugnuts were simultaneously blanked by the Bees' relief corps, with Eduardo Del Rosario (Win, 2-1) handling the fifth and sixth innings, Parker Joe Robinson working the seventh and eighth innings; and Luke Lind (Save, 2) finishing the night with a perfect ninth

In the loss, Talley finished 2-for-2 with a single, double and two walks, and Pruitt went 1-for-1 with a single, hit-by-pitch and two walks.

The second game in the three-game series is a special Labatt Thirsty Thursday: Craft Beer Night with a Glass Boot Giveaway to the first 1,000 fans, presented by the Lansing State Journal! Lugnuts right-hander Juan De Paula (9.39 ERA) opposes Bees right-hander Dylan King (0.90) at 7:05 p.m., with gates opening an hour earlier.

To live the Lug Life and purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com, call (517) 485-4500 or come to the Cooley Law School Stadium box office at 505 E. Michigan Ave. in downtown Lansing.
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