| Tuesday, August 24, 2010 For Immediate Release |
Contact: Jesse Goldberg-Strassler ( 517) 485-4500 ext. 233 |
Lugnuts avoid sweep, beat Fort Wayne, 8-5
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Sean Ochinko doubled twice and drove in four runs and the Lansing Lugnuts (27-30; 63-63) held off the Fort Wayne TinCaps (36-21; 72-55), 8-5, to avoid a four-game sweep at Parkview Field.
Coupled with West Michigan's 9-3 loss at Great Lakes, the Lugnuts pulled within two games of the Whitecaps for the Eastern Division's final playoff berth.
Fort Wayne starter Mike Watt (5-5) was sent to the showers early, done in by an Ochinko three-run double in the first inning and by a three-run rally in third that also featured an Ochinko RBI double.
But the TinCaps chipped away at the 6-0 deficit against Dave Sever and relievers Danny Barnes and Nestor Molina.
Solo tallies in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings halved the Lugnuts lead.
A Kevin Ahrens RBI single in the seventh inning was answered by two TinCaps runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, making the score 7-5.
The Caps drew no closer.
Michael Crouse homered in the ninth inning to provide insurance, the 19-year-old's first home run at the Single-A level, and Casey Beck struck out the side in the ninth around a Jason Hagerty single, recording his fourth save of the year.
Sever (6-9) earned the win, allowing three runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Lansing and West Michigan open a crucial three-game series at Fifth Third Ballpark on Wednesday, 13 games remaining in the regular season.
Lansing sends right-hander Matt Fields (4-7, 4.14) to the mound on Wednesday night, a 7:00 p.m. affair at Fifth Third Ballpark against Whitecaps righty Trevor Feeney (10-12, 3.44).
The final Lugnuts homestand will begin on Saturday, August 28th, with the 7:05 p.m. opener of a four-game series against the Dayton Dragons. LAFCU Fireworks will follow the game.
Tickets to all Lugnuts home games are available for purchase online at www.lansinglugnuts.com, at the stadium box office, and by calling 517-485-4500.
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