Patient Lugnuts win home opener, 6-4

LANSING, Mich. - After throwing an Opening Day Block Party to welcome baseball back to Mid Michigan, the Lansing Lugnuts (2-0) broke a late tie to defeat the Great Lakes Loons (0-2), 6-4, on a frigid Saturday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

Great Lakes pitchers walked 12 Lugnuts - but held the Nuts without a hit until Ryan Noda 's leadoff double off Zach Pop (Loss, 0-1) in the seventh inning. Kevin Smith singled in Noda to give the Lugnuts a 5-4 lead. Smith then moved to third base on a Brock Lundquist groundout and scored on a throwing error by catcher Garrett Hope, closing out the scoring.

A crowd of 3,488 withstood the 31-degree temperature and fierce winds, watching the Lugnuts draw 10 walks in the first two innings on their way to building a 4-0 lead against Loons starter Riley Ottesen (seven batters, six walks) and reliever Marshall Kasowski .

The Loons rallied to tie the game, however, thanks to Starling Heredia's RBI double in the third and Carlos Rincon's solo home run in the fourth off starter Zach Logue , and a Jared Walker two-run homer in the sixth off reliever Dany Jimenez .

Left-hander Logue received a no-decision in his Midwest League debut, striking out six batters and allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in five innings.

Jimenez (Win, 1-0) struck out three Loons in the seventh, stranding two runners, and became the pitcher of record following the Nuts' rally in the home half.

Andy Ravel faced the minimum in a scoreless eighth, and Ty Tice (Save, 1) pitched around a one-out walk to lock down the ninth inning.

Noda joined teammates Reggie Pruitt , Brock Lundquist , Kacy Clemens and Samad Taylor in drawing two walks apiece.

The Lugnuts finished two walks away from tying their single-game franchise record, set against Dayton on August 30, 2007.

Get two games for the price of one on Sunday as the Nuts and Loons close out their series with a doubleheader: a Delta Dental Kids Day beginning at 1:05 p.m. with Play Catch on the Field before the game and Kids Run the Bases after the game! Lugnuts right-handers Graham Spraker and Turner Larkins will start the two seven-inning games, opposed by Loons right-handers Melvin Jimenez and Edwin Uceta . For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.
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