LANSING, Mich. – The Lansing Lugnuts (11-18, 40-53) beat the Great Lakes Loons (18-11, 54-39) for the third straight game, clinching a series victory over the East Division leaders with an 8-7 Sunday matinee win at JacksonⓇ Field™.
It is the Lugnuts’ first series win since June 9-13, when they won four-of-five against the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
The Nuts had been 4-11 in the season series against Great Lakes after losing back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday, but rebounded with a 3-1 victory Friday night and an 8-5 triumph on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Nuts’ fortunes turned with a four-run fifth inning against reliever Nicolas Cruz. Dylan Fien, Daniel Bucciero and Jake Reinisch opened the frame with singles, with Fien scoring on Reinisch’s shot to right-center field. Myles Naylor followed with an RBI double off the left-field wall to bring in Bucciero. Bryan Arendt then cued an RBI infield single to first that Cameron Decker threw away, plating both Reinisch and Naylor for a 6-4 Lugnuts lead.
The Nuts added insurance runs in the sixth inning (on four straight walks from reliever Alex Makarewich) and the seventh inning (on an Ali Camarillo RBI single).
The Loons made a push in the late innings, starting with a two-run eighth against Gerlin Rosario courtesy of a Samuel Munoz solo home run to right center field and an Eduardo Quintero RBI triple.
Facing Jose Dicochea in the ninth, Chase Harlan reached first on a throwing error by third baseman Bucciero. Eduardo Guerrero nearly got on base with a hit to left, but Reinisch, who had switched from right field to left at the start of the inning, made a diving catch to record the out and keep Harlan from advancing.
A Jose Meza walk and a Munoz sacrifice fly advanced Harlan to third, and Meza took second on a steal. But a Cameron Decker line out to Reinisch sealed the Lugnuts’ win.
The Nuts’ first run came courtesy of a bases-loaded walk of Reinisch issued by Loons starter Sterling Patick in the first, and Sprague-Lott added a second run in the second inning with an RBI double stung into left field.
In his second start of the week, Lugnuts starter Steven Echavarria pitched four innings, allowing nine hits and four runs with four strikeouts. Darlin Pinales took over in the fifth and allowed three hits and one run with one strikeout in two innings, ultimately ending up with the win. Ryan Brown threw a scoreless seventh before yielding to Rosario, who only pitched ⅓ of the eighth before Mitch Myers was called upon.
Myers finished the eighth, allowing a single hit, and Dicochea finished the game with a scoreless ninth.
Bucciero was the only Nut to finish the game with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and two walks. Sprague-Lott and Fien each ended with one hit and two runs scored and Reinisch hit 1-for-2 with two walks, three RBIs and one run scored.
The Nuts drew 12 total walks, with Sprague-Lott, Camarillo, Bucciero and Reinisch each finishing with two.
Lansing’s next opponent is the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Lugnuts will play a six-game series against the Timber Rattlers, beginning on Tuesday, before returning home for a series against the Lake County Captains from August 4-9. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.
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