Lugnuts Cap Regular Season With Sweep

September 3, 2007 - Midwest League (MWL) Lansing Lugnuts

LANSING- The Lansing Lugnuts finished the regular season Monday night with a resounding 12-3 win over the West Michigan Whitecaps, sweeping the weekend series at Oldsmobile Park. The win makes this team the winningest club in franchise history with 78 victories. Lansing has also taken 14th straight home games and will enter the playoffs winners of 11-of-12.

Lansing trailed 1-0 in the first after the Whitecaps' James Skelton blasted a solo homer to right field.

The Lugnuts responded in the bottom of the frame with a five-run rally. Jonathan Jaspe's two-out single plated Scott Campbell to tie the game at 1-1. After Brian Pettway walked, Matt Liuzza ripped a single to center to score Jaspe to make it a 2-1 game. Chris Emanuele followed that with a two-run triple off of the left field wall to push the lead to 4-1. Sean Shoffit capped the inning off with a suicide squezze that brought home Emanuele to give the lugnuts a 5-1 advantage.

The Whitecaps scored twice in the third before the Lugnuts were able to pull away for good. Campbell had an RBI double to give Lansing the 6-3 lead.

Lansing's Travis Snider added to the lead in the fourth with a long solo homer to right field to put the Lugnuts ahead 7-3.

Lansing finished the scoring barrage in the eighth with four more runs, highlighted by a Shoffit three-run triple.

Ray Gonzalez (9-7) got the win by tossing six innings and allowing three hits and three runs. Only one was earned.

Lansing (78-61, 42-27) will now turn its attention to round one of the Midwest League playoffs which begin Wednesday night at Oldsmobile Park. The Lugnuts will take on West Michigan (83-57, 45-25) in the best-of-three series.

Julio Pinto (3-4, 4.21) will hurl for the Lugnuts, while Duane Below (13-5, 2.97) will take the mound for the Whitecaps. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Midwest League Stories from September 3, 2007

• Big Inning Ends Loons Season With Loss - Great Lakes Loons
• Lugnuts Cap Regular Season With Sweep - Lansing Lugnuts
• Bees End Season with a Win - Burlington Bees
• Swept to end the regular season - West Michigan Whitecaps
• Kernels drop season finale to Chiefs, 5-2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• Snappers To Face Quad Cities In First Round - Beloit Snappers
• Chiefs Win Season Finale, Beat Kernels 5-2 - Peoria Chiefs
• Chiefs Set Franchise Attendance Record - Peoria Chiefs
• Snappers End Regular Season on Positive Note - Beloit Snappers
• Swing Swept Away In Beloit - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Dragons Drop Regular Season Finale 8-5 - Dayton Dragons
• Kane County wraps up 17th season of baseball with a defeat in Wisconsin - Kane County Cougars
• Rattlers End Season With A Walk Off - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Playoffs Are Coming On Wednesday - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Kernels make the playoffs - Cedar Rapids Kernels

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