LocalSportsJournal.com
LANSING – Trei Cruz’s three-run homer highlighted a seven-run sixth inning as the West Michigan Whitecaps hung on to defeat the Lansing Lugnuts by a score of 11-9 win over the Lansing Lugnuts in front of 7,776 fans on Friday at Jackson Field.
Cruz, who provided an RBI-double as part of Thursday’s 5-1 victory, enjoyed a 3-for-4 performance on Friday, reaching base four times and delivering his eighth homer as the difference in the contest. The 24-year-old is hitting .353 (6-for-17) through his first four games in August.
A back-and-forth affair saw West Michigan score twice on a run-scoring double from Corey Joyce, followed by an RBI-single from Bryant Packard to take a 2-0 lead, but the Lugnuts responded quickly.
A solo homer from Max Muncy highlighted a four-run Lansing first, chasing newly anointed Midwest League Pitcher of the Month Brant Hurter after just two-thirds of an inning.
Trailing 5-3, the Whitecaps sent ten batters to the plate to score seven times to reclaim the lead. Josh Crouch collected a two-run single before Cruz blasted his three-run shot.
In the seventh, Izaac Pacheco, playing his first game with the Whitecaps, launched an opposite-field home run for his first hit at the High-A level, extending the lead to 11-5.
The Lugnuts responded with four runs in the seventh but came no closer as the ‘Caps bullpen tossed a scoreless final two frames to seal the win.
Whitecaps reliever Gio Arriera (8-1) tossed a pair of innings out of the bullpen, giving up one run and picking up his team-best eighth win of the season, while pitcher Jake Walkinshaw (2-1) took the loss by giving up seven runs in four innings.
The Whitecaps currently hold a four-game lead over the Great Lakes Loons for first place in the Midwest League East second-half standings. The Whitecaps improve to 55-45 and 24-10 in the second half.
The Lugnuts fall to 38-62 and 13-21. Detroit Tigers 2022 first-round pick Jace Jung, making his debut in professional baseball, delivered a single in the eighth inning to collect his first hit as a pro.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the fifth game of this six-game series against the Lansing Lugnuts from Jackson Field Saturday at 7:05 pm. Lefty Jack O’Loughlin gets the start for West Michigan against righty Kyle Virbitsky for the Lugnuts.
Broadcast coverage starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm.
