Nuts withstand 12 walks to hold off Loons

LANSING, Mich. – In front of a crowd of 7,884 on Faith & Family Night / Breast Cancer Awareness Night, the Lansing Lugnuts (9-13, 40-47) overcame committing four errors and issuing 12 walks to stop the Great Lakes Loons (13-9, 58-29), 8-6, on Friday night at Jackson® Field™.

It was the fourth game in the series decided by exactly two runs. Otherwise, it was far from a normal day at the ballpark.

Lugnuts pitchers Mitch Myers, Mac Lardner, Charles Hall and Stevie Emanuels each walked three batters, tying a single game season high. But the Loons went 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 runners, leaving the bases loaded in the third inning and grounding into a double play to end a bases-loaded threat in the seventh.

In the ninth inning, Emanuels struck out Frank Rodriguez, walked Max Hewitt, struck out Jake Vogel and walked Taylor Young, putting the tying runs aboard.
Jack Owen relieved Emanuels and retired the dangerous Dalton Rushing on a groundout to first to end the game, notching his second save.

The Loons had taken a 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second innings against Myers, but the Lugnuts rallied against Maddux Bruns for one in the second in the second on a CJ Rodriguez sacrifice fly and three in the third on a Colby Thomas RBI single and a Junior Pérez two-run double for a 4-2 lead.

After the Loons tied the score in the fourth, Joshwan Wright untied it with a two-run double in the home half.

Lansing then answered Great Lakes solo tallies in the sixth and seventh innings, thanks to an Euribiel Ángeles RBI double in the sixth and a fluke dropped Rodriguez pop-up that fell between third baseman Luis Díaz and shortstop Young, scoring Thomas in the seventh.

Great Lakes’ frustrations were compounded with the ejection of second baseman Kenneth Betancourt, arguing a caught stealing in the sixth inning.

In the win, Daniel Susac went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, ending his hitting streak at 11 games. Colby Thomas finished 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, extending his own Midwest League hitting streak to ten games and his overall hitting streak to 19 games.

But it was center fielder Pérez who stole the show, going 1-for-1 with a double, two RBIs, three walks and three stolen bases.

Saturday marks the start of Wizarding Weekend, with gates opening at 6 p.m., first pitch at 7:05 p.m., and postgame LAFCU Fireworks. Tickets are available via lansinglugnuts.com or by calling (517) 485-4500 during office hours.

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