LANSING, Mich. – After being down by as many as five runs, a two-out Dylan Fien two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth launched the Lansing Lugnuts (22-28) to a 7-6 walk-off win over the West Michigan Whitecaps (16-34) on Saturday night at JacksonⓇ Field™.
Lansing has celebrated two walk-offs in the series against the Whitecaps; Rodney Green, Jr., was responsible for the first with a slide into home plate on an Ali Camarillo fielder’s choice for a 2-1 win in Tuesday’s opener.
On Saturday, Lansing trailed 5-0 after two innings and 6-2 after seven, but scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Carlos Franco RBI groundout and a Ben Newton RBI single.
Casey Yamauchi led off the final inning against Jalen Evans with an infield single to shortstop, beating the throw to first from Bryce Rainer. Evans stuck out Green, wild-pitched Yamauchi to second, and struck out Ali Camarilloto take Lansing down to its final out. A Devin Taylor RBI single scored Yamauchi.
On the next pitch, Fien walked it off with his third home run of the season into the grass behind the right-field wall, sending the crowd and his team into a frenzied celebration.
A Rainer two-run double followed by a Jackson Strong sacrifice fly scored three in the first inning for the Whitecaps, and a Garrett Pennington two-run double in the second built a quick 5-0 lead as West Michigan blitzed Lansing starter Tzu-Chen Sha.
West Michigan’s only other run, also credited to Sha, came in the seventh inning with a bases-loaded walk by relief pitcher Luis Carrasco.
Green gave Lansing its first run of the ballgame with a big swing in the bottom of the third, launching his team-leading sixth home run of the season, and second of the series, over the right-field wall. The team’s second run came on a Nate Nankil RBI single in the sixth.
After the second, Sha pitched four scoreless innings before allowing the final run in the seventh. In total, he allowed nine hits, six runs and one walk with five strikeouts in six innings.
Carrasco and Ryan Brown combined for a scoreless final three innings to allow the Lugnuts to rally.
Yamauchi led the offense, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and a run scored. Nankil posted his first multi-hit game since May 3, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Franco had his first multi-hit game since April 8, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double.
After breaking an 0-for-21 slump on Friday, Fien went 1-for-4 on Saturday with one walk, two RBIs and two runs scored.
The Lugnuts will finish up the series on Sunday with starter Nathan Dettmer opposing West Michigan left-hander Gabriel Reyes. Gates open at 12 p.m. for Capital City Market Kids Day, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.
# # #