Lugnuts double their way to 6-2 victory

LANSING, Mich. – On Golf Night with actor Christopher McDonald in attendance, the Lansing Lugnuts (26-31, 58-64) beat the Fort Wayne TinCaps (20-37, 48-75) by three strokes – run-scoring doubles from T.J. Schofield-Sam, Danny Bautista, Jr., and CJ Rodriguez in a five-run sixth inning – en route to a 6-2 victory on Thursday night at Jackson® Field™.

Lansing starter Jake Garland fired five scoreless, two-hit innings on 58 pitches, and Ryan Lasko’s second High-A home run gave the Nuts a 1-0 lead entering the sixth, but Fort Wayne tallied twice against Grant Judkins to go up 2-1.

TinCaps starter Jagger Haynes opened the sixth with a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a walk to Lasko, his sixth and seventh strikeouts of the night. But Nate Nankil extended the inning with a single to right-center, moving Lasko to third. It was only the third hit allowed by Haynes all night; more soon followed.

Schofield-Sam ripped a grounder down the right field line to score Lasko, tying the score at 2-2. After Josh Kuroda-Grauer was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Bautista, Jr., doubled off the wall in left to bring in both Schofield-Sam and Nankil, and Rodriguez laced the very next pitch down the left line to score Kuroda-Grauer and Bautista, Jr.

Judkins blanked the TinCaps over the seventh and eighth before Yehizon Sanchez worked a perfect ninth, wrapping up the win in a tidy two hours and ten minutes.

Center fielder Lasko highlighted the offensive effort, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk, a roundtripper, a stolen base and two runs scored.

Three home games remain in the 2024 Lugnuts season. Next up: the first of two straight LAFCU Fireworks nights! Right-hander Mitch Myers gets the ball for the Nuts against Fort Wayne right-hander Braden Nett. Gates open at 6 p.m. for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. For tickets and further information, visit milb.com/lansing or call (517) 485-4500.

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