Six-run 4th backs Peluse, pen in 8-5 win

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Lansing Lugnuts (44-48) used a six-run fourth inning, a solid Colin Peluse start, and stellar play late to top the host Great Lakes Camels (48-44) on Wednesday night at Dow Diamond.

Austin Beck and Jordan Díaz each finished 3-for-5 for the Lugnuts and William Simoneit doubled twice in a 13-hit output a night after Lansing had been held to five singles in a series-opening 2-1 loss.

Right-hander Colin Peluse became the second pitcher in the High-A Central to reach seven victories, tossing his team-leading fourth quality start with seven strikeouts in six innings, allowing three hits, one walk and two runs – driven in on a two-run homer by Eddys Leonard in the second inning.

The Lugnuts wiped out that early 2-0 deficit with an 11-batter uprising in the fourth, knocking out Great Lakes starter Jesús Vargas. Back-to-back doubles from Simoneit and Beck sparked the rally, followed by an RBI single from Díaz to tie the score. Patrick McColl and Lazaro Armenteros delivered consecutive run-scoring fielder’s choices, debuting center fielder Jonny Butler notched his first High-A hit with an RBI single, and Beck wrapped things up with his second hit of the inning, an RBI single to left.

After Peluse departed, however, the Camels rallied against Leudeny Pineda, trimming Lansing’s 6-2 lead to one run on a Leonel Valera three-run triple in the seventh. With the tying run 90 feet away, Garrett Acton struck out Ryan Ward and Carson Taylor to end the inning, then followed up in the eighth by whiffing 3-4-5 batters Brandon Lewis, Andy Pages and Leonard.

Lansing tacked on insurance runs on a Beck eighth-inning RBI single and a McColl ninth-inning RBI single before Charles Hall locked down the victory with a perfect ninth, striking out Zac Ching and Joe Vranesh to end the game.

Between Peluse, Acton and Hall, the Great Lakes lineup was set down 1-2-3 in six of the nine innings.

The Lugnuts and Loons play the third game in their six-game series at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, featuring Nuts right-hander Shohei Tomioka (4.75 ERA) against Loons right-hander Gavin Stone, the Dodgers’ 2020 fifth-round selection making his High-A debut. For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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