Nuts rally against TinCaps' pen for third straight split
May 23, 2021 - Midwest League (MWL)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Patrick McColl crushed his first professional home run in a four-run eighth, and the Lansing Lugnuts (9-9) scored seven unanswered runs against the Fort Wayne TinCaps' (7-10) bullpen for an 8-3 victory on Sunday afternoon at Parkview Field.
The result gave the Lugnuts their third consecutive six-game series split to start the season.
Shortstop Max Schuemann drilled an opposite-field home run off Matt Waldron's first pitch of the game, but it was the only run the Lugnuts scored against Waldron in five innings. Meanwhile, Lugnuts starter Stevie Emanuels struck out six batters in 3 1/3 innings but gave up a Jonny Homza two-run double in a three-run TinCaps third and departed after walking Justin Lopez in the fourth, his fourth walk of the game.
The Lugnuts' bullpen picked Emanuels up from there, with Charles Hall (2 2/3 innings), Aiden McIntyre (one inning) and Jack Weisenburger (two innings) blanking the TinCaps on four hits and one walk, striking out eight combined.
Fort Wayne's bullpen duo of Sam Keating and Brandon Komar did not have the same success.
Schuemann doubled off Keating in the sixth and scored on a Michael Guldberg sacrifice fly, bringing the Lugnuts within 3-2.
Facing Komar in the seventh, Ryan Gridley singled, Cobie Vance walked, and McColl attempted to sacrifice his teammates into scoring position - but first baseman Homza's throw to first sailed into the TinCaps bullpen, bringing in Gridley and Vance for a 4-3 Lugnuts lead.
The Lugnuts then opened the game up with four runs off Komar in the eighth, courtesy of a Gridley RBI single, a Vance RBI double, and the crowning blow, a two-run homer by McColl that soared an estimated 411 feet out to right.
The late outburst made this the fourth consecutive game that the Lugnuts had scored at least seven runs on 11 hits. Lansing hit a total of 11 home runs in the six-game series.
Schuemann finished 2-for-4 with a double and home run, extending his on-base streak to 12 games and giving him a league-leading 16 runs scored. Guldberg went 2-for-3 with two singles, a steal, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly, increasing his own on-base streak to 13 games.
And Shane Selman went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a sacrifice bunt, becoming the final Lugnuts position player to collect his first double of the year; Lansing leads the High-A Central with 43 doubles in addition to a league-leading 147 hits and 247 total bases.
After a day off Monday, the Lugnuts open a stretch of 12 home games in 13 days at Jackson® Field™, welcoming in the Great Lakes Loons from May 25-30 and the South Bend Cubs from June 1-6. To purchase tickets, please visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.
Midwest League Stories from May 23, 2021
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- Dragons Fall to South Bend, 5-4 on Sunday - Dayton Dragons
- Loons' Late Rally Falls Short in Ninth - Great Lakes Loons
- Waldron Strikes Out Eight, But TinCaps Split Series - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Captains Hold on Late to Beat Great Lakes - Lake County Captains
- Nuts rally against TinCaps' pen for third straight split - Lansing Lugnuts
- Daniel Ozoria Added to Kernels Roster - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- TinCaps Game Information: May 23 vs. Lansing - Fort Wayne TinCaps
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