Seventeen-hit night powers Nuts to 2000th all-time victory

LANSING, Mich. – A quick four runs by the offense in the first inning and a fifth consecutive quality start powered the Lansing Lugnuts (16-20) to their 2000th all-time victory, a 12-3 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits (16-17) in front of a raucous Thirsty Thursday crowd at JacksonⓇ Field™.

The Lugnuts have now won five straight games stretching back to May 9, all of which have seen Lansing starting pitchers record quality starts.

The offense is firing on all cylinders, too. In the current series, the Lugnuts have outscored Quad Cities 34-10. On Thursday, the offense recorded 17 hits compared to the River Bandits’ nine.

Lansing wasted no time taking control of the game, striking first with a Devin Taylor RBI fielder’s choice followed by RBI singles from Myles Naylor and C.J. Pittaro. A run-scoring Austin Charles throwing error gave Lansing a 4-0 lead – and those four runs, as it turned out, were all the Nuts needed to grab a third straight win in the series.

After the blitz in the first inning, the Nuts kept up the pressure in the second by adding two more runs, courtesy of an Ali Camarillo sacrifice fly and a Taylor RBI double.

Camarillo led the offense, going 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored. Taylor went 2-for-4 with one run scored, three RBIs and two doubles; it was his third straight two-hit game.

Quad Cities pounced on Lansing starter Zane Taylor in the third with an RBI triple by Tyriq Kemp and an RBI groundout from Nolan Sailors. A two-out solo home run from Blake Mitchell followed to cut Lansing’s lead to 6-3.

Taylor may have bent, but he didn’t break, tossing three scoreless innings after the third. He finished with seven strikeouts in six innings, conceding six hits, one walk and three runs en route to his third win of the season.

In relief, Jack Mahoney, Gerlin Rosario and Jose Dicochea each pitched an inning, giving up a combined three hits and zero runs.

The Nuts and River Bandits face off once again on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. between 6’6” Lansing right-hander Kyle Robinson and 6’6” Quad Cities right-hander Josh Hansell. The Zooperstars will provide entertainment, and the first LAFCU Fireworks Spectacular of the year will conclude the night. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.

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