Watters/Rodriguez battery sparks 8-3 win
MIDLAND, Mich. – Jacob Watters struck out five in five scoreless innings and batterymate CJ Rodriguez belted his first home run of the year and drove in three runs, helping the Lansing Lugnuts (3-4, 34-38) beat the Great Lakes Loons (3-4, 48-24), 8-3, on Saturday night at Dow Diamond. Rodriguez
MIDLAND, Mich. – Jacob Watters struck out five in five scoreless innings and batterymate CJ Rodriguez belted his first home run of the year and drove in three runs, helping the Lansing Lugnuts (3-4, 34-38) beat the Great Lakes Loons (3-4, 48-24), 8-3, on Saturday night at Dow Diamond.
Rodriguez was one of six Lugnuts with a multi-hit game, led by three hits from Max Muncy, totaling 14 hits – the most hits allowed in a game by Great Lakes in 2023.
Starter Watters set the tone, limiting the Loons to three singles, two walks and a HBP in blanking the Midwest League’s most prolific offense through five frames on 80 pitches.
Meanwhile catcher Rodriguez broke a scoreless deadlock with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning, and a run-scoring wild pitch from Loons starter Kendall Williams increased the lead to 2-0.
Daniel Susac doubled home Caeden Trenkle in the sixth for a 3-0 lead (though Susac was tagged out in a rundown between third and home following a throwing error by second baseman Max Hewitt).
An inning later with Danny Bautista, Jr. aboard, Rodriguez drilled the first pitch from Adolfo Ramírez 395 feet out to left-center, his first home run since August 2022. Euribiel Ángeles followed with a triple and Max Muncy singled him in, putting the Lugnuts up 6-0.
The insurance rally proved important when the Loons rallied for three runs in the seventh inning against Kumar Nambiar, with Brock Whittlesey entering from the pen to record the final two outs.
A Trenkle RBI single and Susac sacrifice fly in the ninth applied the final touches to the score, and Stevie Emanuels struck out four in blanking the Loons over the final two innings.
The Lugnuts improved to 5-2 in 2023 against the Midwest League’s best team.
Lansing right-hander Joelvis Del Rosario starts the penultimate game in the six-game series, set for 1:05 p.m. Sunday. Great Lakes starts right-hander Hyun-il Choi.
The Lugnuts next return home on Independence Day, hosting the Lake County Captains in a six-game series. Tickets are available via lansinglugnuts.com or by calling (517) 485-4500 during office hours.
# # #