Lugnuts tie franchise win mark in thriller over Whitecaps
September 2, 2004 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
COMSTOCK PARK- Alan Rick went 2-4 with a pair of runs batted in, including the eventual go-ahead run as the Lugnuts(74-62, 36-30) tied a franchise mark with their 74th win of the season in a thrilling 5-4 win over the West Michigan Whitecaps(68-67, 39-27) at Fifth Third Ballpark.
Lansing opened the scoring in the first inning off Virgil Vasquez(14-6) as Brian Dopirak cranked a one-out, two-run homer to make it 2-0. Dopirak's 38th homer of the season moves him within four of tying the Midwest League mark of 42 set by Jeffrey Jones of Cedar Rapids in 1982 with four games left. West Michigan's probable MVP, Kelly Hunt, made it 2-1 in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double with two outs, his 98th RBI on the year.
West Michigan took the lead briefly in the third. Hits by Eric Rodland, Danilo Sanchez and Hunt loaded the bases with nobody out off Randy Wells(6-7). Kody Kirkland then hit into a 6-4-3 double play, scoring Rodland to tie the score at 2-2. Jason Knoedler followed with an RBI double to plate Sanchez, but Wells did a nice job of damage control by getting Bo Flowers to pop out to Dopirak to end the inning.
Rick quickly tied the score in the fourth with a one-out solo homer to right, his 9th of the season. In the sixth, the Palatka, FL native would strike again, this time with two outs. Kevin Collins reached on a double that Knoedler lost in the lights and after Drew Larsen popped out, Rick delivered a clutch single to score Collins and give Lansing a 4-3 lead. Robinson Chirinos' double behind Rick made it 5-3 and despite the Whitecaps earning a run in the bottom of the inning, the Lugnut bullpen shined brightly to save the win for Wells.
Clay Rapada worked an inning an two thirds to finish off the sixth and seventh, fanning a pair. Juan Mateo then came in and closed the door to earn his ninth save. He retired the Whitecaps in order in the eighth and then after hitting Rodland with one out in the ninth, struck out Hunt to end the game.
Lansing now heads to Geneva, IL to take on the Kane County Cougars in the final series of the regular season before post-season action starts on September 8th. Billy Petrick will oppose Brad Knox at Elfstrom Stadium with game time set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.
Midwest League Stories from September 2, 2004
- Lugnuts tie franchise win mark in thriller over Whitecaps - Lansing Lugnuts
- Silver Hawks Walk On By - South Bend Silver Hawks
- Cougars lose to the Hawks, 3 - 2 - Kane County Cougars
- Buzz Kill - Beloit Sky Carp
- Dragons Send Fans Home Happy, Beat Yankees 9-3 - Dayton Dragons
- Playoff-Bound Whitecaps Lose, 5-4 - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Rattlers finish road trip with 20-7 loss - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Yankees lose lead, finale in Dayton - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- Kane County Closes Out Regular Season with a Bang - Kane County Cougars
- Bees Add Johnson to Roster - Burlington Bees
- Another Day, Another Move - Dayton Dragons
- 1st-round home schedule set - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Christmas comes early - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Upcoming Kernels events - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Dragons Named 2004 Prism Award Winner - Dayton Dragons
- LumberKings hold on for win - Clinton LumberKings
- Beloit Snaps Bees Winning Streak - Burlington Bees
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
