McGonigle, 'Caps top Nuts, 7-1

LANSING, Mich. – Ben Malgeri homered for the second straight day, Kevin McGonigle went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a homer, and the West Michigan Whitecaps (40-20) coasted past the Lansing Lugnuts (34-26), 7-1, on Thursday night at Jackson® Field™.

The Whitecaps’ magic number to clinch the East Division shrank to 1, needing only one more win in the final six games of the first half to punch a ticket to the postseason.

Malgeri and McGonigle– the 1-2 hitters in the Whitecaps’ order – were their own personal wrecking crew against Lansing starter Steven Echavarria.

In the first inning, Malgeri homered, McGonigle and Max Clark doubled, and Peyton Graham scored Clark with a sac fly to put the ‘Caps up 3-0.

In the third, McGonigle lasered a home run to right for a 4-0 lead.

In the fifth, a Malgeri walk, McGonigle double and Graham RBI single made it 6-0.

All six runs were charged to Lansing starter Echavarria, who gave up five hits and two walks in four innings-plus, striking out four. Wander Guante followed with five strikeouts in two innings of relief; Tom Reisinger gave up an unearned run (McGonigle, who had walked) on a throwing error in two innings; and Yehizon Sanchez worked a scoreless ninth.

The Lugnuts’ only run came via a Casey Yamauchi double and Bennett Lee passed ball in the bottom of the ninth.

The fourth game of the series arrives on a Friday the 13th with a Ghost Ratchet Bobblehead Giveaway, plus Youth Sports Night with a pregame parade, postgame Kids Run the Bases and LAFCU Fireworks. Gates open at 6 p.m. for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch between Lansing’s Grant Judkins and West Michigan’s Rayner Castillo. Tickets are available for purchase at the stadium box office, (517) 485-4500 or online at milb.com/lansing.

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