Lugnuts sweep away Peoria, 8-2

PEORIA, Ill. - Hagen Danner went 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run singles and the Lansing Lugnuts (12-9, 44-46) completed a three-game sweep with an 8-2 victory over the Peoria Distillers (3-18, 33-57) on Friday night at Dozer Park.

The Lugnuts enter the third and final leg of their nine-game, ten-day road trip with a 5-1 record, having not allowed more than two runs in any of the six games.

Peoria lost its 12th straight game, three shy of tying the Midwest League record.

The Distillers struck first on an RBI single by Leandro Cedeño in the second inning, but that was the only run they managed against Lugnuts starter Troy Watson (Win, 4-2). Watson fired six innings, allowing six hits and one walk and not recording a strikeout.

Gabriel Moreno smoked a 423-foot home run to left-center off Peoria starter Cole Schmid (Loss, 3-5) leading off the fourth inning, tying the score at 1-1. Five batters later, Danner sent a line drive into left, driving in Jake Brodt and Johnny Aiello for a 3-1 Lugnuts lead.

The Nuts put the game away against the Peoria bullpen, tallying a run in the seventh and two in the eighth against Thomas St. Clair, with Danner adding his second two-run single in the ninth against Evan Sisk to cap off the scoring.

Even the Distillers' final run came with a Lugnuts highlight. Brady Whalen lined an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth against Joey Pulido , plating Brendan Donovan. Whalen, however, attempted to stretch the single into a double and was thrown out at second base by right fielder Griffin Conine .

Lansing finished with 13 hits in the win, with two apiece from DJ Neal , Moreno, Pruitt and Brodt. Brodt, Aiello and Rafael Lantigua each scored two runs, with Lantigua going 1-for-2 with a single and three walks.

The Lugnuts finish their road trip with a three-game series at Cedar Rapids from Saturday through Monday before returning home from July 17-22 for a six-game homestand against the Burlington Bees and Clinton LumberKings. 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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