Muncy and Susac homer, Nuts hold off Whitecaps
LANSING, Mich. – Max Muncy and Daniel Susac belted their first home runs of the season, but the Lansing Lugnuts’ (5-3) 6-4 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps (6-2) was not secured until Caeden Trenkle made a diving catch in the right-center gap of an Izaac Pacheco line drive, ending
LANSING, Mich. – M**ax* *Muncy* and *Daniel* *Susac* belted their first home runs of the season, but the Lansing Lugnuts’ (5-3) 6-4 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps (6-2) was not secured until *Caeden Trenkle** made a diving catch in the right-center gap of an Izaac Pacheco line drive, ending a thrilling Saturday night at Jackson® Field™.
The Lugnuts played the game on Jackie Robinson Day in tribute uniforms to the 1894-1897 Page Fence Giants, a dominant traveling Black professional team based out of Adrian that won over 80% of its games.
Take it all in from tonight's thrilling win.
— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) April 16, 2023
- @Cjrod007 putting the Nuts in front
- @JtWink22 clearing the bases
- @danielsusac10 and @Maxmuncy_8 going yard
- @caeden_trenkle laying out to end the game
It was Nuts. pic.twitter.com/UTLFE4C4Ni
They lived up to the Giants’ legacy, taking a 4-0 lead in the second inning on a CJ Rodriguez RBI single and a Jack Winkler three-run double, and then building that lead to 5-1 in the fifth on a Susac drive to left and 6-4 in the seventh on a Muncy blast to right.
But with two outs in the ninth, Jorge Juan walked Roberto Campos on four pitches to bring up Pacheco as the potential game-tying run. The 20-year-old had blasted a home run to straightaway center field in his previous at-bat in the seventh inning, his third consecutive game with a homer. After ripping a foul ball home run distance to right, the Detroit Tigers’ No. 14 prospect lined a curve into right-center. Trenkle, making his first start in right field after six prior starts in center field, made a headlong dive, cleanly snaring the ball before landing on the grass.
The result ended West Michigan’s three-game winning streak and gave the Nuts the opportunity to halve the six-game series with a victory in the Sunday finale.
In the winning cause, the Lugnuts finished with 12 base hits, including two apiece for Muncy, Susac, Danny Bautista, Jr., and Jonny Butler, who tied the franchise single game record with a pair of triples.
Right-hander Grant Holman started the game for Lansing in his first appearance off the Injured List since late August 2022, pitching a perfect first inning with a strikeout and two lineouts.
Blake Beers followed with five strikeouts in four innings-plus, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks and two HBPs. Brock Whittlesey gave up a run on a hit (Pacheco’s solo home run) and a walk with a strikeout in two innings, and Jorge Juan recorded the final six outs, four by strikeout.
Coming off five hitless innings in his Lugnuts debut, right-hander Jack Perkins makes his first start in Lansing on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. on a Capital City Market Kids Day, opposed by West Michigan southpaw Jack O’Loughlin. Gates will open at 12 noon. For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.
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