Locos start Copa with a win, 10-5
May 3, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
LANSING, Mich. - On the first day of Copa de la Diversión, the Lansing Locos (13-14) looked comfortable in their gem-blue jerseys, scoring four runs in the first and fifth innings and rolling to a 10-5 series-opening victory over the Beloit Snappers (8-16) in front of a season high crowd of 8,625 on Friday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.
The game was the first of four this season for Lansing in taking part in Minor League Baseball's nationwide "Fun Cup" campaign of reshaping team identity and conducting outreach to the local Latinx community.
Santo Domingo (D.R.) native Otto Lopez led the way at the top of the Locos' lineup, igniting the four-run first inning against Beloit starter Chase Cohen (Loss, 3-3) with a leadoff triple - the first of four straight batters to reach base and score to open the game.
Cohen was pinned for eight runs on eight hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings, serving up first-inning two-run doubles to Jake Brodt and Ryan Gold and a fifth-inning two-run single to D.J. Neal for the Locos' biggest blows.
The top three Locos batters - Lopez, Tanner Kirwer and Nick Podkul - each scored two runs, with Kirwer adding an RBI fielder's choice followed by a run-scoring throwing error by Beloit second baseman Ryan Gridley in the eighth inning for a two-run insurance rally.
That was all the support a pair of Locos pitchers needed. Josh Hiatt handled the first four innings, allowing seven hits, two walks and two runs while striking out six, and Santo Domingo native Juan De Paula (Win, 3-2) taking care of the final five frames, giving up five hits, three runs (two earned), one walk, and striking out four.
Lansing has now scored ten runs in back to back games and leads the Midwest League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, base hits and total bases.
Saturday is Heritage Night with a free youth clinic presented by Delta Dental from 3-4 p.m. for kids 13 years of age and younger, plus a slide show featuring former players and Lansing athletes. Game time is 7:05 p.m. between the Lansing Locos and Beloit Snappers. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.
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