Armstrong carries offense as Lugnuts hang on to capture series
June 3, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
Lansing, Mich.- Jason Armstrong collected three hits and drove in four runs to pace the Lugnuts(29-25) offense and then the bullpen held on for an 8-6 victory over the Clinton LumberKings(30-25) on Friday night at Oldsmobile Park. With the win, Lansing won its third straight in the series and gains its first series victory since taking three of four from Beloit in Wisconsin in mid-April.
Armstrong's two-run double in the second capped off a two-out rally as he brought in David Corrente and Yuber Rodriguez. With two outs and the bases empty off Kyle Rogers(3-4), Corrente drew a walk and Rodriguez would single to center. Juan Perlata then drew a walk to load the bases for Armstrong, who delivered to give the Lugnuts and Russ Savickas(1-1) an early edge.
Savickas was outstanding on Friday in his first home start of the season. In 6.0 innings, the righty allowed just three hits and fanned four and turned over a 3-0 lead to the bullpen in the seventh. The Lugnuts third run off Rogers came in the fifth when Rodriguez walked and scored on a two out error by Casey Benjamin.
In the seventh, the LumberKings cut the lead to 3-2 with a two-out, two-run homer by Ben Harrison. The blast off Jordy Templet was Clinton's 11th homer of the series. The Lugnuts would answer with a furious rally in the bottom of the inning to seemingly put the game away, scoring five times to take an 8-2 lead. Armstrong's second double plated another pair of runs to make it 5-2 and Eric Nielsen, Christian Snavely and Corrente would later plate runs off Marc LaMacchia.
The LumberKings wouldn't quit, however. A two-out double by Emerson Frostad scored Jim Fasano in the eighth and cut the lead to 8-3. Then in the ninth, the LumberKings almost completed the comeback against Joey McLaughlin and Daryl Harang. McLaughlin started the ninth, but allowed three runs to cut the lead to 8-6. Brandon Cashman's two-run double opened the scoring and a bases-loaded walk by Frostad with Harang on the mound cut the lead to just two runs and sent the tying run to second. Harang got ahead off Lizahio Baez and got the Clinton catcher on a check-swing called strike three to stifle the rally and send the Lugnuts to the dramatic win.
The Lugnuts will now hit the road for the start of a four-game series at O'Brien Field in Peoria tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. in the first game against their old affiliate, the Chicago Cubs. Chi-Hung Cheng will start for the Lugnuts against Peoria's Lee Gwaltney.
Midwest League Stories from June 3, 2005
- Bees Get "Burn"t Against Beloit - Burlington Bees
- Bullpen collapse leads to series split - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Armstrong carries offense as Lugnuts hang on to capture series - Lansing Lugnuts
- Swing drop heartbreaker - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Wisconsin ends trip with a shutout loss - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Five Run Fifth Propels Dayton to 8-4 Win - Dayton Dragons
- Cougars Split With Whitecaps After Late Surge - Kane County Cougars
- Dragons and Devil Rays to Play DH - Dayton Dragons
- Sonnanstine Shuts Down Chiefs 3-0 - Peoria Chiefs
- Sonnanstine masterful in 3-0 win over Peoria - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- Snappers June Events Update - Beloit Sky Carp
- Snappers Upcoming Home Stand - Beloit Sky Carp
- Meet the Team, Check Out the Homes - Dayton Dragons
- Disciples Peak to play post-game concert at C.O. Brown on June 12 - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- Buckner, Moye promoted to High Desert - Burlington Bees
- Lumberkings lose in 13 innings - Clinton LumberKings
- Lugnuts roster shaken up, Cannon promoted - Lansing Lugnuts
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