Lansing - The Lansing Lugnuts continued their domination of the Clinton LumberKings on Sunday with a 4-3 victory at Oldsmobile Park, 505 E. Michigan Ave.
The visiting LumberKings (8-9 second half, 36-47 overall) got the scoring started in the top of the second inning when right fielder Jovanny Sosa followed a walk by Matt Brown with a massive shot over the center field wall to claim a 2-0 lead.
After Lugnuts southpaw Felix Sanchez (2-4) ended the second and third innings with back-to-back strikeouts, Lansing tied the game at two apiece when first baseman Yban Esterlin smashed his first home run of the season over the centerfield wall off Clinton right-hander Shawn Hill (9-4).
“It was a chance to get Yban in the game, he does a good job coming in the late innings of games for (first baseman) Brad Bouras,” Lugnuts manager Julio Garcia said. “He hit the ball pretty good, hopefully we can get a few more of those from him.”
When the LumberKings failed to add to their run total in the top of the fourth inning, the Lugnuts (11-7, 48-39) took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the inning when center fielder Mike Mallory hit a double to deep left field.
Third baseman Joshua Arteaga followed up with a double to deep right, scoring Mallory.
Lansing squandered a chance to add to its lead in the bottom of the sixth, when Lugnuts catcher Lukas McKnight grounded back to the pitcher for the final out with the bases loaded.
Sanchez was replaced by right-hander Dionnar Martinez at the end of the sixth. Sanchez finished the game with two earned runs, three walks, five hits and five strikeouts.
Martinez got out of a jam in the top of the seventh when Clinton also failed to score with the bases loaded. Right-hander Steve Ellis replaced Martinez after the inning.
The LumberKings nearly tied the game again in the top of the eighth inning when pinch hitter Dominick Ambrosini hit a line drive to left field.
Lansing left fielder Buck Coats rifled the ball to home plate, where McKnight easily tagged out Sosa.
Clinton did tie the game in the top of the ninth inning, when shortstop Josh Labandiera crushed an Ellis pitch over the left-field wall to knot the game at three.
The trend of the weekend, and the season series between these two teams, came to a close Sunday afternoon.
After going 4-0 in extra-inning games against Clinton, 2-0 this weekend, the game ended in the bottom of the ninth when McKnight singled to left in the bottom of the ninth to drive in Arteaga.
Arteaga reached on a LumberKings error, then advanced to second on a balk call. With nobody out, McKnight showed a bunt to move Arteaga to third. But when the Clinton infield moved in, he slapped a shot down the third base line to score the winning run.
“They had a meeting at the mound, you kind of figure they’re trying to get that out at third base,” McKnight said. “It was just a read that worked out pretty well for us.”
Ellis (4-1) was credited with the win after one inning of work. He gave up one hit and one earned run, striking out one with no walks.
With the win, the Lugnuts go to 7-0 this season against the Lumberkings, 3-0 at Oldsmobile Park.
“I didn’t think it’s anything other than we’re playing pretty good right now,” Garcia said. “And for them, unfortunately it seems like they have voodoo or something. They do the right things, it just doesn’t work out for them.”
The two teams close out the series at 7:05 p.m. today at Oldsmobile Park.
