Lugnuts shut out Battle Creek to win Eastern Division Title
Published on September 7, 2003 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
LANSING -- The Lansing Lugnuts defended their Midwest League Eastern Division title Sunday night and moved on to the Midwest League Championship Series with an impressive 4-0 win at C.O. Brown Stadium.
Sean Marshall and relievers Weston O'Brien, B.J. Benik and Jason Wylie combined on a two-hit shutout, facing only 31 Yankees hitters.
Lansing managed only one run on four hits against Battle Creek starter T.J. Beam in his seven innings but scored three insurance runs in the ninth against two of the league's top closers.
Beam allowed a leadoff bloop double to leadoff hitter Felix Pie in the first inning, but he finished the inning with Pie starnded at third. He then pitched a perfect second inning before Lansing broke the scoreless tie in the third.
J.J. Johnson led off that inning with a single and Keith Butler followed with a double. two hitters later, Buck Coats sent a line drive to center field for a sacrifice fly that turned out to be the game-winning run.
Beam pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way; he allowed three doubles and a single, walking one and striking out five.
Marshall was even better. He threw 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven. He allowed only two singles and one walk. The most rouble he found himself in was a runners-on-the-corners, two-out situation in the sixth. He got out of it with a popout back to the mound.
O'Brien picked up one out for Marshall in the seventh; Benik pitched a perfect eighth and Wylie entered in a non-save situation to shut the door with a perfect ninth.
It was a non-save situation because the Lugnuts scored three in the ninth off of relievers Ben Julianel (two runs, earned) and Matt Brumit (one unearned run). Jake Fox started the scoring with a double to left field that scored Robinson Chirinos; Matt Creighton singled him in and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Jayson Drobiak.
The Championship Series will begin at Oldsmobile Park on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. against the winner of the Clinton / Beloit series. As of Sunday night, the series was tied.
This is the third Eastern Division Title the Lugnuts have earned in their eight-year history. They won one championship, in 1997.
Midwest League Stories from September 7, 2003
- Lugnuts shut out Battle Creek to win Eastern Division Title - Lansing Lugnuts
- Lugnuts End Yankees' Season - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- Snappers Even Series - Beloit Sky Carp
- Lugnuts blast Battle Creek in Game One of Eastern Division Championship Series - Lansing Lugnuts
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