Campos wears a game-winner, Nuts end homestand with fourth walk-off
LANSING, Mich. – With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Donovan Benoit plunked Alexander Campos with a wayward slider, and the Lansing Lugnuts (13-13) defeated the Dayton Dragons (12-15), 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at Jackson® Field™. The Lugnuts finished their 12-game homestand against Quad Cities and Dayton
LANSING, Mich. – With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Donovan Benoit plunked Alexander Campos with a wayward slider, and the Lansing Lugnuts (13-13) defeated the Dayton Dragons (12-15), 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at Jackson® Field™.
The Lugnuts finished their 12-game homestand against Quad Cities and Dayton with a 6-6 record, winning four of six against the River Bandits before dropping four of six to the Dragons. Of those six wins, four came via walk-off – two against Quad Cities and, thanks to Campos’ bases-loaded HBP, two against Dayton.
Daniel Susac homered in the second inning for a 1-0 Lansing lead and batterymate Blake Beers struck out nine Dragons in five innings, but Dayton opened the sixth inning with an Austin Hendrick single, a Ruben Ibarra RBI single and a Tyler Callihan two-run homer to catapult in front, 3-1.
Lansing right-handers Jorge Juan, Grant Holman and Tyler Baum combined for four innings of scoreless one-hit relief work, and the Nuts’ offense went about rallying against the Dayton pen.
In the seventh inning, Jack Winkler doubled off Manuel Cachutt, took third on a passed ball and scored on a Danny Bautista, Jr., RBI groundout.
In the eighth inning, Campos worked a walk from Jake Gozzo, moved to second on an Euribiel Ángeles one-out single, and came home with the game-tying run on a Sahid Valenzuela two-out single.
And in the bottom of the ninth, Benoit walked Susac, gave up a single to Bautista, Jr., on an 0-2 pitch, and then hit pinch-hitter Jonny Butler to load the bases for Campos. On an 0-2 pitch, a Benoit slider swept up and in, catching Campos on the shoulder and forcing in Susac to end the game.
Lansing finished the game with seven hits, with two hits apiece supplied by Bautista, Jr., and Ángeles.
After a day off Monday, the Lugnuts return to action with a six-game series at West Michigan beginning Tuesday. The next Lansing homestand runs from May 16-21 against the Lake County Captains. For ticket information, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.
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