Whitecaps Rally Past Lugnuts, 9-5
Published on April 18, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
LANSING, Ind. - Casey Yamauchi blasted a go-ahead three-run homer in a four-run fifth-inning rally, only to see the West Michigan Whitecaps (9-5) answer with six straight runs for a 9-5 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts (5-8) on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Jackson® Field™.
The Lugnuts have lost six consecutive games, five straight in the series, while West Michigan has won six in a row.
Down 1-0 early on a Nolan McCarthy second-inning sacrifice fly, Lansing tied the game in the fourth inning on Devin Taylor's second home run of the year.
An inning later, Yamauchi collected his third home run of the year with a drive to Home Run Hill off Detroit native Jalen Evans, lifting the Nuts into a 4-3 lead. Taylor followed with a ringing double high off the 20-foot center field wall and came home on a Davis Diaz groundout to make it 5-3.
But the Whitecaps scored three runs in the sixth off reliever Ryan Brown, taking a 6-5 lead on a Junior Tilien two-out single.
An inning later, a Garrett Pennington RBI double and Clayton Campbell two-run homer added insurance.
Evans, Luke Stofel and Logan Berrier combined to blank the Nuts over the final four innings to secure the win.
In the losing cause, right fielder Taylor finished 2-for-3 with a double, home run and a pair of walks. The 2025 second-rounder is slashing .481/.545/.852 in his last 33 plate appearances dating back to April 10.
Lansing starts right-hander Tzu-Chen Sha in the Sunday series finale at 1:05 p.m., opposed by West Michigan lefty Gabriel Reyes. Gates open at 12 noon for a Capital City Market Kids with postgame Kids Run the Bases. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.
Midwest League Stories from April 18, 2026
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