Whitecaps spoil Lugnuts season finale with 2-1 win
September 5, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Lansing Lugnuts News Release
LANSING- Clete Thomas's RBI triple with one out in the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie and the West Michigan Whitecaps(73-67, 39-31) held on to defeat the Lugnuts(70-69, 33-37) in the 2005 season finale by a 2-1 score in front of 5,783 fans at Oldsmobile Park on Monday afternoon.
In a game that resembled a playoff-like atmosphere, the teams battled through a scoreless tie through the fourth inning. Both starters, Russ Savickas and Josh Rainwater, were outstanding early on. Rainwater fanned six of the first ten batters he faced and Savickas scattered three hits through the first five frames.
Lansing struck to take the lead in the fifth. Ryan Klosterman led off with a walk and stole second with Josh Lex at the plate. Lex would then draw a walk. David Corrente executed a perfect sacrifice bunt for a single up along the third base line to move up the runners and when Whitecap third baseman Nick McIntyre could grab the attempt on a bare hand pickup, the ball just lay on the grass on the third base side, allowing Klosterman to score.
Still, the Lugnuts missed out on extending the lead as Rainwater retired the next three hitters. In all, the Lugnuts stranded a total of nine runners over the final six innings.
In the sixth, a two-out single by Jeff Frazier drove home Thomas to tie the score and it remained 1-1 until the eighth. Aaron Tressler(3-1) hit Chris Robinson to start the inning and after a sacrifice bunt by Brooks Colvin moved Robinson to second, Thomas fouled off several pitches from Tressler before finally tripling to left to bring in Robinson.
Lansing left on Aaron Mathews at second in the eighth when P.J. Finigan(2-2) fanned Lex to end the threat and Kevin Whelan retired the side in order in the ninth to pick up his 11th save in 14 appearances for the Whitecaps.
Lansing's season is over after the one-run loss while West Michigan will now match up in the first round of the 2005 Midwest League playoffs on Wednesday night against Fort Wayne at home.
Midwest League Stories from September 5, 2005
- Midwest League announces playoff schedule - MWL1
- Snappers Win, Earn Western Division Wildcard - Beloit Sky Carp
- Rays head into playoffs as second half wild-card - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- Ellis lands on DL again, Davidson activated - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Cougars miss playoffs on final day of season - Kane County Cougars
- Dragons end 2005 on winning note with 5-3 victory - Dayton Dragons
- Snapper beat Rattlers to get into the playoffs - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Whitecaps spoil Lugnuts season finale with 2-1 win - Lansing Lugnuts
- Whitecaps win, will face Fort Wayne in playoffs - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Perez steals way into record books - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- Swing lose in playoff tuneup - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Tharpe activated for clutch game in playoff chase - Kane County Cougars
- Snappers lose to Rattlers for the second straight game - Beloit Sky Carp
- LumberKings win again - Clinton LumberKings
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