Whitecaps stop Lugs in wild 10 innings, 11-10  

LANSING, Mich. – The West Michigan Whitecaps (9-17) scored four runs in the tenth inning and held on for an 11-10 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts (11-15) on Saturday night at Jackson® Field™.

Lansing had won the first four games of the six-game series against the Whitecaps, including two by walk-off. This one nearly ended the same way.

The tenth inning began with the unusual sight of second baseman Joshwan Wright on the mound for Lansing, entering in relief after the Lugnuts used five relievers in Thursday’s 6-5 victory, four more on Friday (including closer Angello Infante for a second straight day), and then Diego Granado, Edward Baram and Kumar Nambiar in relief of starter Jeff Criswell in this game, thus running out of arms.

West Michigan second baseman Jose King broke a 7-7 tie with a two-run double off Wright, Bryant Packard followed with a sacrifice fly and Corey Joyce added an RBI single before Wright retired Wenceel Perez on a comebacker for the third out.

The 11-7 lead appeared plenty comfortable as Caps southpaw Gabe Sequeira struck out Sahid Valenzuela and coaxed a soft lineout from Lazaro Armenteros. But Tyler Soderstrom beat out an infield single, Brett Harris skied an RBI double into the right-field corner and debuting Lugnut Marty Bechina sent a nearly identical two-run double into the same corner, trimming the West Michigan lead to a run. That brought up Lawrence Butler as the game-winning run a night after Butler had beaten West Michigan with a bases-loaded tenth-inning walk. Butler worked the count full, but Sequeira struck him out with a high fastball to end the game.

In the loss, Soderstrom, Bechina and Jared McDonald each collected three of Lansing’s season high 17 base hits. Bechina, a former four-year Michigan State Spartan, enjoyed a successful return to Mid Michigan with four RBIs and five times on base, thanks to two singles, a double, a walk and an HBP.

Nuts starter Jeff Criswell, the reigning Midwest League Pitcher of the Week, went 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision, blanking the Whitecaps until a Corey Joyce fifth-inning three-run homer ended his night. Criswell finished with seven strikeouts alongside six hits and one walk allowed. Whitecaps prospect Wilmer Flores fared worse, knocked out after going just 2/3 of an inning, allowing three hits, one walk and two runs.

The Lugnuts and Whitecaps wrap up their six-game series on Mother’s Day, a special Capital City Market Kids Day at 1:05 p.m. with gates opening at 12 noon. Right-hander Osvaldo Berrios (7.20 ERA) is slated to start for Lansing; the West Michigan starter is yet to be announced. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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