Danner, Conine dingers help Lugs gain split

LANSING, Mich. - A night after losing 9-4 to Lake County, the Lansing Lugnuts (4-4, 36-41) received two home runs from Hagen Danner and a two-run homer from Griffin Conine in dealing a 9-4 defeat to the Captains (6-2, 46-31) in front of 6,224 on Friday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The win clinched a four-game split in the series - the third straight four-game series in 2019 that the Lugnuts and Captains have halved.

Solo homers from designated hitter Danner down the left-field line in the third inning and down the right-field line in the fourth inning, his 10th and 11th roundtrippers of the year, erased an early Lake County 2-0 lead.

The Captains answered with two runs in the top of the fifth, only to see right fielder Conine crush a two-out game-tying two-run homer to left field, his seventh of the year, in the bottom of the fifth inning.

For both Danner and Conine, it was their first homers since June 11th in South Bend.

The Conine blast began a streak of seven unanswered Lugnuts runs. Second baseman Rafael Lantigua gave the Nuts the lead for good with an RBI single in the sixth off Lake County reliever Kyle Marman (Loss, 1-2), with shortstop Otto Lopez following with a two-run single two batters later.

The Lugnuts added two runs in the eighth off Luis Araujo to close out the scoring.

Lansing starter Fitz Stadler allowed nine hits and four runs, striking out five, in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision. Marcus Reyes (Win, 4-1) followed with three scoreless innings, scattering five hits and fanning two.

Cre Finfrock recorded the final four outs, three by strikeout, for his eighth save.

In the win, Danner scored four runs, going 2-for-2 with the two home runs plus a walk and hit-by-pitch. Lantigua, Reggie Pruitt and Gabriel Moreno each notched two hits as well, with Lopez going 1-for-2 with three RBIs and a HBP to extend his on-base streak to 28 games.

The Lugnuts' seven-game homestand continues Saturday on Backyard Baseball Night with a Pete Wheeler bobblehead giveaway to the first 1,000 fans and post-game LAFCU Fireworks! Right-hander Troy Miller (5.23 ERA) starts against Bowling Green Hot Rods right-hander Shane Baz (1.20) in the 7:05 p.m. opener of a three-game series. To live the Lug Life and purchase tickets, visit lansinglugnuts.com, call (517) 485-4500 or come to the Cooley Law School Stadium box office at 505 E. Michigan Ave. in downtown Lansing.
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