Lugnuts Win Sixth Straight
Lugnuts Win Sixth Straight Lansing Remains in First Place LANSING - The Lugnuts' bats had been relatively quiet over the last four games. Consider them awakened. Lansing smacked 11 hits en route to a 5-2 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels before 7,881 fans at Oldsmobile Park on Thursday night. The victory extends the Lugnuts winning streak to six games. It also gives Lansing its sixth consecutive series win to open the season. The Lugnuts trailed 2-0 after three innings, but cut the lead in half when Cory Patton crushed a solo homer onto Larch Street to make the score 2-1. Lansing (16-5) added two more runs in the fifth frame when Luke Hetherington scampered home after Anthony Garibaldi singled to right where the ball was misplayed by Warner Madrigal, allowing Hetherington to score and tie the game. Garibaldi came home on a Brian Pettway double to give the Lugnuts the lead for good. The Lugnuts padded the lead in the seventh inning when Chris Gutierrez doubled home Sean Shoffit to push the lead to 4-2. It became 5-2 after Cory Patton notched his second RBI of the evening with a single to right field. Chi-Hung Cheng (4-1) picked up the win for Lansing by throwing five innings and allowing two unearned runs on seven hits. Tommy Mendoza (1-2) suffered the loss for Cedar Rapids (10-11), giving up three runs in six innings of work. Paul Phillips picked up his third save of the year for the Lugnuts. Lansing will look for the series sweep over Cedar Rapids on Friday evening. The Lugnuts' Kristian Bell will face the Kernels' Nick Adenhart. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. at Oldsmobile Park. |
 |