Nuts score 11 for 4th straight game, win 11-7

LANSING, Mich. – After scoring exactly 11 runs in each of their last three games, the Lemonade League’s Lugnuts showed off great consistency, piling up 11 runs in the first three innings and cruising to an 11-7 win over the Locos on Saturday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The Lugnuts improved to 6-3 overall against the Locos.

The Nuts scored two runs in the first inning and five in the second against Locos starter Nick O’Dea (Wayne State), and then tacked on four in the third inning against reliever Ryan Abenth (Concordia) to put the game out of reach.

The early outburst was led by the Lugnuts’ top six hitters in their order:
- leadoff hitter Darryn Davis (Toledo) went 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored, and now leads the league with 14 hits, 21 total bases and a .538 average;
- No. 2 hitter Mark Connelly (Lansing CC) went 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI single, an HBP, a steal of home, and three runs;
- No. 3 hitter Andrew Morrow (Michigan State) went 2-for-2 with two singles, two walks, a steal, and two runs;
- No. 4 hitter Zaid Walker (Michigan State, pictured above) went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, a steal, three runs batted in, and two runs;
- No. 5 hitter Colin Cornwell (Saginaw Valley State) went 3-for-4 with two RBI singles, a two-run triple, four total runs batted in, a steal, and a run;
- and No. 6 hitter Hunter Lay (Lansing CC) went 2-for-4 with two singles and a run batted in.

In the losing cause, Kade Preston (Central Michigan) crushed his second home run in three games, Alex McCormack (Grand Valley State) went 2-for-2 with two walks and a two-run homer to straightaway center, and Brock Henley (Davenport) finished 3-for-4 with an RBI single.

The Lugnuts only needed two pitchers, with Adam Dorstewitz (Kalamazoo) handling the first four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts, and Kameron Marnon (Lansing CC) working the final three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with one strikeout.

The Locos used four pitchers, with starter O’Dea pitching 1 2/3 innings, followed by 1 1/3 innings from Abenth and scoreless relief from Michael Stygles (Oakland) in the fourth and Brandon Scheurer (SVSU) in the fifth and sixth.

The Lemonade League will hold a doubleheader on Sunday with games beginning at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., making up a rainout from the previous Sunday. Masks are mandatory for admission.

The Lemonade League is a college wood-bat league featuring Minor League Baseball umpires, yellow baseballs, seven-inning games, and extra innings replaced by a one-on-one Home Run Derby – although none was needed on this night. Every Lemonade League game is livestreamed FREE across multiple social and digital platforms, including the Lansing Lugnuts’ Facebook and Twitter pages.

For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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