LANSING, Mich. - The Lansing Lugnuts (3-4, 35-41) wiped out one multi-run Lake County lead but not the second, as the Captains (6-1, 46-30) rode a five-run seventh inning to a 9-4 victory on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.Center fielder Reggie Pruitt went 2-for-5 with two singles, a
LANSING, Mich. - The Lansing Lugnuts (3-4, 35-41) wiped out one multi-run Lake County lead but not the second, as the Captains (6-1, 46-30) rode a five-run seventh inning to a 9-4 victory on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.
Center fielder Reggie Pruitt went 2-for-5 with two singles, a run scored, and his Midwest League-leading 30th and 31st stolen bases of the year for the Nuts, who erased an early 4-0 deficit, only to fall victim to Lake County's seventh-inning rally.or the Nuts, who erased an early 4-0 deficit, only to fall victim to Lake County's seventh-inning rally.
Will McAffer (Loss, 1-3) relieved Cobi Johnson beginning the seventh and was charged with all five runs. The right-hander faced eight batters, recording one out while allowing four walks and three hits. Sean Rackoski took over for McAffer with the bases loaded and one out, and, though he allowed one inherited runner to score, recorded the final eight outs in perfect fashion.
Until the seventh inning, the story of the game had been Johnson's reversal. The Lugnuts' starting pitcher recovered from a four-run first inning to set a new career high with six innings pitched, the last five scoreless, with six strikeouts.
Lake County starter Alex Royalty faced the minimum in the first three innings, but gave up three runs in the fourth on two walks, two hits and two errors.
An inning later, Gabriel Moreno tied the score at 4-4 with an RBI double to left.
The Captains turned to their bullpen, with Skylar Arias (Win, 3-1), Cam Hill and Manuel Alvarez each pitching exactly 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Lake County's four pitchers combined to strike out 16 Lugnuts, a new season high for Lansing's offense.
The Lugnuts will go for a split of the four-game series on Friday at 7:05 p.m., sending right-hander Fitz Stadler (5.68 ERA) against Lake County left-hander Zach Draper (1.33). Fans are encouraged to arrive early - the first 1,000 fans through the gates will Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. Replica Jerseys, with LAFCU Fireworks following the game! 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.
# # #
