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Sellers, Lugs treat throng to 6-3 victory

(Denny O'Connor)
June 16, 2018

LANSING, Mich. - Donnie Sellers pitched a career high six innings and the Lansing Lugnuts (42-27) treated a crowd of 8,003 to six unanswered runs between the third and fourth innings and a 6-3 win over the South Bend Cubs (34-34) on Saturday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.It was

LANSING, Mich. - Donnie Sellers pitched a career high six innings and the Lansing Lugnuts (42-27) treated a crowd of 8,003 to six unanswered runs between the third and fourth innings and a 6-3 win over the South Bend Cubs (34-34) on Saturday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

It was the Lugnuts' second straight 8,000+ crowd at Cooley Law School Stadium and their fourth 8,000+ attendance of the year.

Michael Cruz knocked a second-inning homer and the Cubs added two runs in the third inning for a quick 3-0 lead against Sellers (Win, 4-1), but the Lugnuts' right-hander settled in to blank them from there on out, walking one, striking out one and scattering seven hits.

Samad Taylor ignited a quick two-run rally in the home third with an RBI double, scoring on a Brandon Grudzielanek RBI groundout to trim the deficit to 3-2.

In the fourth inning, Matt Morgan 's bloop RBI single to right tied the score at 3-3. Reggie Pruitt followed with a spinner of a single up the first-base line that brought in Ryan Gold for a 4-3 lead. Two batters later, Ryan Noda sizzled a two-run single up the middle to close the scoring.

South Bend All-Star Javier Assad (Loss, 4-3) gave up all six runs, four earned, on eight hits in four innings. He had previously limited the Lugnuts to one run in 10 2/3 innings combined during two prior starts in 2018.

The Nuts' bullpen took care of the rest. Dany Jimenez allowed a pair of hits and struck out two while blanking the Cubs in the eighth and ninth innings, and Brody Rodning (Save, 4) issued a walk in a hitless ninth before ending the game on a 1-6-3 double play.

Noda, Pruitt and Gold each went 2-for-4 in the winning effort, helping the Lugnuts amass 10 base hits.

One game remains in the first half before the Midwest League All-Star Game comes to Cooley Law School Stadium on Tuesday, June 19th:

Celebrate Father's Day with the Lugnuts on a Delta Dental Kids Day! Play Catch on the Field with your dad before the game, with the first 1,000 fans receiving a special Guerrero Blue Jays-themed Lugnuts jersey! Game time is 1:05 p.m. against South Bend, with the Lugs looking for the sweep. To purchase tickets and live the Lug Life, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.


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