LANSING, Mich. – Zane Taylor and five different relievers pitched over 10 scoreless innings, but the Fort Wayne Tincaps (10-12, 37-51) edged the Lansing Lugnuts (6-16, 35-51), 2-0, in an 11-inning Saturday night pitching duel in front of 5,607 fans at JacksonⓇ Field™.
Back in Lansing for the first time in 21 days, the loss breaks a two-game winning streak for the Lugnuts.
Taylor retired the first five batters before allowing a single to San Diego Padres No. 14 prospect (MLB Pipeline) Lamar King Jr. That was all the TinCaps could manage off of the starter, as Taylor retired the next 10 batters, finishing the game with five strikeouts, one hit, no walks and no runs in five innings.
Behind Taylor, the relievers held strong for most of the game. Jose Dicochea blanked Fort Wayne in the sixth before giving way to Riley Huge. Huge got into some trouble in the seventh, but Luis Carrasco finished the inning. Carrasco recorded the first two outs of the eighth, but allowed a Kerrington Cross walk and a Zach Evans single. Abel Mercedes struck out Ryan Wideman to strand runners at second and third, then set the TinCaps down in order in the ninth before yielding the mound to Blaze Pontes.
After a scoreless 10th, things fell apart in the 11th. The Lugnuts secured the first out of the inning when catcher Logan Sauve picked up a Kasen Wells bunt and threw out placed-runner Evans at third. But Justin DeCriscio drove a double to left, Wideman plated Wells with a run-scoring groundout, and DeCriscio came home on a Pontes wild pitch.
Lansing made it close in the bottom of the 11th; Jared Sprague-Lott advanced placed-runner Rodney Green Jr. to third with a single off of Fort Wayne reliever Clark Candiotti, but Myles Naylor struck out and both Ali Camarillo and Daniel Bucciero grounded out to end the game.
The Nuts’ best chance to win the game came with one out in the bottom of the ninth. With potential winning run Ali Camarillo at third and Carlos Pacheco at second, Pedro Pineda hit a shallow fly ball to right fielder Kavares Tears. Tears made the catch and threw home to catcher King as Camarillo bluffed a tag-up – but Pacheco broke for third base. King threw to shortstop DeCriscio, Camarillo attempted to score, and the TinCaps tagged him out in a rundown, completing a double play and sending the game into extra innings.
The Lugnuts out-hit the TinCaps 5-3; Sauve and Sprague-Lott each recorded two hits and Camarillo added a single.
Recently-acquired pitcher Ben Hansen makes his first start for the Lansing on Sunday’s game against the Tincaps, opposing Fort Wayne’s Abraham Parra. Gates open at 12 noon for a 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.
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