Whitecaps’ high five leaves Lugnuts down low

COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – The West Michigan Whitecaps (24-28) used a five-run second inning and late home runs from Colt Keith and Bryant Packard to hold off the Lansing Lugnuts (19-33), 9-5, on Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark.

Second baseman Euribiel Ángeles went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the defeat for the Lugnuts, who have dropped four straight games.

Third baseman Joshwan Wright’s sacrifice fly off West Michigan starter Carlos Guzmán in the top of the second inning briefly gave the Nuts a 1-0 lead over their intrastate rival.

But in the bottom of second, five straight Whitecaps batters drove in runs off Lugnuts starting pitcher Osvaldo Berrios, with Daniel Cabrera’s RBI triple serving as the biggest blow.

Berrios lasted 4 2/3 innings, departing after allowing two runs in the fifth inning that pushed the Whitecaps’ lead to 7-1.

Keith led off the sixth inning with a home run off Daniel Martinez to make it 8-1, and Packard responded to a Drew Swift RBI single in the seventh with his own solo homer to increase the West Michigan lead to 9-1.

The Lugnuts rallied against reliever Gio Arriera in the eighth inning, loading the bases with no outs on walks to Austin Beck and Lawrence Butler sandwiched around a Tyler Soderstrom single. Jared McDonald delivered Beck with a sacrifice fly, and Ángeles drove in Butler and Soderstrom with a liner to right-center, bringing the Lugnuts within four runs.

But Andrew Magno snuffed out the threat, retiring Wright and Swift to strand runners at the corners.

Elvis Alvarado pitched a perfect ninth to seal the Whitecaps’ win.

Swift and Beck each joined Ángeles with two hits in the loss; Beck finished 2-for-4 with a walk and is hitting .391 (9-for-24) in June. First baseman Patrick McColl added two walks and a single.

A pair of southpaws are scheduled to pitch Wednesday for the Lugnuts, with Mac Lardner set to follow Hogan Harris, opposed by Whitecaps right-hander Dylan Smith at 6:35 p.m. The six-game series stretches through Sunday before the Lugnuts return home Tuesday, June 14, opening a 12-game, 13-day stretch against Fort Wayne and Beloit. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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