Simpson homers, Bautista, Jr. goes 5-for-5 to help Lugs win series
Eastlake, OH – The Lansing Lugnuts (7-8) scored six unanswered runs from the sixth inning onward, breaking a 4-4 tie and routing the Lake County Captains (6-8), 10-4, on Sunday afternoon at Classic Auto Group Park. The Lugnuts bested the Captains in four of six games in Lake County, their
Eastlake, OH – The Lansing Lugnuts (7-8) scored six unanswered runs from the sixth inning onward, breaking a 4-4 tie and routing the Lake County Captains (6-8), 10-4, on Sunday afternoon at Classic Auto Group Park.
The Lugnuts bested the Captains in four of six games in Lake County, their first series win of the season.
Henry Bolte delivered an RBI double in the first inning and Will Simpson blasted a two-run homer in a three-run fifth inning to help the Lugnuts build leads of 1-0 and 4-1, only to see the Captains respond with a pair of game-tying rallies.
In the sixth inning, however, Bolte drew a bases-loaded walk from reliever Juan Zapata to put the Lugnuts on top, 5-4. Jonny Butler followed with a two-run automatic double to right-center, Allan Hernández tossed a run-scoring wild pitch, and Danny Bautista, Jr. singled home Butler to cap a five-run rally, putting the Lugnuts ahead 9-4 and in firm control of the game.
Bautista, Jr. singled in each of his first four at-bats before finishing with an RBI double in the eighth inning, wrapping up the scoring with a 5-for-5 performance, one hit shy of tying the team’s single-game hits record.
As a whole, Lansing collected 14 hits, including two apiece for Colby Halter, Bolte and Simpson. Simpson also drew two of the Lugs’ six walks, increasing his league-leading total to 17.
Lugnuts starting pitcher Grant Judkins fanned four batters in three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and three walks. Yehizon Sanchez gave up four runs (three earned) on two hits and two walks in an inning-plus, yielding to Garrett Irvin for the final three outs of the fifth. Jake Garland then tossed 2 1/3 innings scoreless, fanning three, before Colton Johnson wrapped up the final 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts without allowing a run.
The Lugnuts now return home, opening a 12-game, 13-day homestand Tuesday, April 23, with the first of a six-game series against Dayton. Tickets are available for purchase at the Jackson® Field™ box office, available for purchase at (517) 485-4500 or online at milb.com/lansing.
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