Lansing - The wait is over. With their 11-6 win over Kane County Friday, the Lugnuts (34-30 second half, 71-62 overall) snapped a seven-game slide and officially clinched a berth in the 2002 playoffs.
Lansing center fielder Mike Mallory was happy about his team’s success and optimistic about its future in the upcoming playoffs.
“We played good ball (Friday),” Mallory said. “And now that we’re in the playoffs. I think this team has a really good shot to go all the way.”
In front of a season-record crowd of 12,158 people who waited out a one-hour, 32-minute rain delay, the Lugnuts showed they meant business in their final home game of the season. For a team that has been struggling to put runs on the board, every player in the lineup earned at least one hit.
“It was a good way to go out for the last home game, for us and the fans,” Lansing hitting coach Mike Micucci said.
“We played well tonight - everybody contributed offensively and I think that (the team) kind of fed off each other. “
The Lugnuts started the offense in the bottom of the second with a Buck Coats double that screamed down the third base line. The right fielder moved to third when left fielder Aron Weston laid down a bunt. Coats then crossed home when catcher Paul O’Toole grounded into a double play.
Kane County (31-29, 60-69) tied the score at one in the third when shortstop Rex Rundgren scored on a single from second baseman Kris Clute.
In the fourth inning, the Lansing offense broke the game open with four runs. Coats scored on an O’Toole single up the middle and shortstop Travis Welsch knocked in Weston with a single. Welsch then scored on a fielder’s choice RBI from designated hitter Lukas McKnight to make the score 5-1.
The Cougars would not go quietly, however, and managed to rally for four runs in the fifth inning to knot the game at five.
Lansing jumped ahead in the sixth when shortstop Ryan Theriot scored on a McKnight single, but settled into yet another tie in the seventh when Kane County right fielder Scott Hicks singled to score third baseman Michael Tucker.
But the Cougars were no match for a five-run Lugnut explosion in the bottom of the eighth. McKnight drove in Welsch and second baseman Joey Monahan with his single to put two on for first baseman Yban Esterlin, who blasted a triple to score Theriot and McKnight. Esterlin then crossed home on a wild pitch from Kane County right hander Kevin Cave to make the score 11-6 in Lansing’s favor.
McKnight finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBIs.
“It’s a good feeling all-around any time I can do a job and be able to contribute and get it done on long nights - especially since we’ve struggled lately,” McKnight said. “And the win is a great one for the team. We needed this one.”
Kane County righty Ronald Belizario was replaced with right hander Kevin Cave to start the seventh after giving up eight hits and four earned runs, walking three and hitting two batters. Cave (2-7) pitched the final two innings and took the loss for the Cougars.
Lugnut righty Pedro Olivero earned the win for Lansing and improves to 3-3 on the season.
On Saturday, Lansing traveled to Dayton to take on the Dragons. The Lugnuts won the matchup 7-3 after breaking a 3-3 tie in the top of the eighth when Theriot scored from third on a RBI single off the bat of Coats.
Right-handed hurler Matt Hines earned his first win for Lansing while Dragon righty Daylan Childress (9-10) took the loss.
On Sunday, the Lugnuts lost 8-3 to the Dragons. The two teams finish up the four-game series Tuesday.
