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Perkins impresses as Lugnuts sweep Loons

April 9, 2023

LANSING, Mich. – Jack Perkins struck out six in five hitless innings, and the Lansing Lugnuts (3-0) held off the Great Lakes Loons (0-3), 4-2, to complete a season-opening three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond. Jack Winkler and Daniel Susac added RBI doubles to take care of the

LANSING, Mich. – Jack Perkins struck out six in five hitless innings, and the Lansing Lugnuts (3-0) held off the Great Lakes Loons (0-3), 4-2, to complete a season-opening three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond.

Jack Winkler and Daniel Susac added RBI doubles to take care of the necessary offense, the Nuts’ third straight day of scoring exactly four runs.

It was the Lugnuts’ first season-opening sweep since a four-game home-and-home sweep of the Loons in 2017 by a Lansing team headed by teenagers Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.

Perkins, the Athletics’ fifth-round selection from Indiana in the 2022 draft, needed only 57 pitches (39 for strikes) to motor through 15 outs. He allowed only one base runner, a Dalton Rushing second-inning walk.

The Loons managed their first hit in the sixth inning, a two-out Jake Vogel single to center off Jorge Juan.

Juan handled the sixth and seventh innings, allowing two singles and a walk while striking out two, before Mac Lardner came on for a perfect eighth.

Protecting a 4-0 lead with two outs in the ninth, however, Lardner walked Rushing on a 3-2 pitch and gave up back-to-back RBI doubles to Griffin Lockwood-Powell and Austin Gauthier. The doubles were the Loons’ first extra-base hits of the whole weekend, coming in the 28th inning of the three-game set.
Brock Whittlesey relieved Lardner and slammed the door, striking out Yunior García for the final out.

The Lugnuts led the matinee from start to finish, jumping on Loons starter Justin Wrobleski on a leadoff walk to Caeden Trenkle and a ringing run-scoring double to center by Winkler for a 1-0 lead. After Max Muncy singled, a double-play ball from Susac brought in Winkler for a 2-0 edge.

The Nuts then doubled that cushion in the sixth with what proved to be important insurance. Facing Orlando Ortiz, Muncy drew a one-out walk, Susac plated him with a booming double to center, stole third base, and came home on a Jonny Butler sacrifice fly.

Butler delivered one RBI in each game of the series, while Muncy reached base at least twice in all three games.

After a day off on Monday, the Lugnuts open their home schedule on a Tacos and Tallboys Tuesday, April 11, welcoming in the West Michigan Whitecaps for a six-game homestand at Jackson Field. For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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