It was what a typical summer day at Oldsmobile Park should have been. The sun warmed the field, cool refreshments quenched the thirsts of young fans and the Lugnuts came back in extra innings to earn a win.
The Lugnuts provided a Summer Fun Day when center fielder Mike Mallory launched a home run over the left field wall to give the Lugnuts an 11-inning, 6-5 victory over the Fort Wayne Wizards - the squad’s second-straight win.
“In that situation, I was looking for a fastball, and all I needed to do was make contact,” Mallory said.
“It feels good right now. I think we’re starting to come together. It was a good day to finally get going - all I had to do was see the ball, hit the ball.”
Mallory finished the game with three hits and two RBIs.
Summer Fun Day got area kids out to the ballpark with a 12:05 p.m. start, but the Lugnuts (3-3) didn’t seem quite as ready as the fans to begin Tuesday’s game.
Lansing starting pitcher Jose Cueto had a rocky road early as he walked in a run in the first inning and gave a free pass to three of the first six Fort Wayne batters.
The Wizards (2-4) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when center fielder Kevin Reese doubled home Ryan O’Donnell and then tacked on another run in the third.
But the Lugnuts got on the board later that inning, when left fielder Ray Sadler hit the first of his two home runs of the day - both solo shots. Mallory also knocked in a run when Wizard starter Mark Percosky beaned him with the bases loaded.
Sadler’s home run in the fourth, his fourth of the year, tied the game at 3-3.
The Wizards scored two more in the fifth, making it 5-3, and held the Lugnuts scoreless until the bottom of the ninth.
But star-of-the-day Mallory led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and catcher Jon Mark Sprowl doubled him home. Sprowl then advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and was knocked in by Lugnut shortstop Luis Montanez’s single, tying the game at 5-5.
Montanez stole second to get into scoring position for third baseman Blair Barbier. But the Lugnuts failed to win the game in regulation when Montanez ran through the stop sign and was tagged out at the plate on Barbier’s single to right.
“We have to take chances like that, and he made a good throw and the catcher was sitting on top of the plate,” Lugnuts manager Julio Garcia said afterward.
Lugnuts pitcher Lawrence Alvarez picked up the win with two innings of one-hit ball.
“It’s great to get a win today. It’s good for the fans and it’s good for the players,” Garcia said.
The Lugnuts will travel to Fort Wayne to close out the four-game series today and Thursday.
Blasi promoted
Second baseman Blake Blasi was promoted to Daytona, another Class A Chicago Cubs affiliate, Monday. Catcher Travis Silver was called up from Boise to take Blasi’s spot on the Lugnuts’ roster.
