LANSING, Mich. - Gabriel Moreno capped a three-run eighth-inning with a two-run homer, and the Lansing Lugnuts (21-28) finished an eight-game homestand with a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Lake County Captains (30-20) in a Memorial Day matinee at Cooley Law School Stadium.The Lugnuts split the four-game series with the
LANSING, Mich. - Gabriel Moreno capped a three-run eighth-inning with a two-run homer, and the Lansing Lugnuts (21-28) finished an eight-game homestand with a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Lake County Captains (30-20) in a Memorial Day matinee at Cooley Law School Stadium.
The Lugnuts split the four-game series with the second-place Captains, denying them a first-place tie with Great Lakes.
With the Captains leading 3-2 entering the last of the eighth, Captains reliever Riley Echols (Blown Save, 1; Loss, 0-1) struck out Reggie Pruitt looking and coaxed a slow roller to third from Otto Lopez . Third baseman Connor Smith, however, threw the ball wildly to first base, turning an infield single into three bases. Nick Podkul followed with a game-tying sacrifice fly. After a walk to Jake Brodt , Moreno lifted a fly ball over the glove of leaping 6-foot-5 right fielder Will Benson for his second home run in Lansing, giving the Nuts a 5-3 lead.
In the ninth, facing Will McAffer , Benson trimmed the lead to one run with his second RBI single of the game, prompting Lugnuts manager Dallas McPherson to call in Cre Finfrock . Benson stole second and third base, putting the tying run 90 feet away, but Finfrock (Save, 1) struck out Mitch Reeves looking on a slider to end the game.
Lugnuts starter Sean Wymer fired five innings, allowing solo home runs to Quentin Holmes and Miguel Jerez in a no-decision.
Wymer was relieved by Marcus Reyes , who pitched a scoreless sixth before allowing a run on a walk and two singles in the seventh. Jackson Rees (Win, 2-0) relieved Reyes and dominated, striking out three straight Captains to strand runners at the corners and then working a 1-2-3 eighth inning with two more strikeouts to lower his ERA to 0.40 - one earned run allowed in 22 2/3 innings, with 41 strikeouts compared to four walks.
Brodt added a two-run first-inning homer, his team-leading sixth big fly, plus two walks to aid the Lugnuts' offense, with Lopez finishing 2-for-4 with two singles and two runs scored to increase his on-base streak to 19 games. Additionally, Lopez has exactly two hits in each of his last six games.
The Lugnuts open a three-game series at Dayton on Tuesday night before returning home to Cooley Law School Stadium on Friday for a three-game homestand against the Bowling Green Hot Rods - a homestand featuring Forest Gump Night on Friday, Mystery Jersey Night on Saturday and a special Delta Dental Kids Day / Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with TMNT-themed jerseys on Sunday! To live the Lug Life and purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.
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