Dawson, Lugnuts keep on rolling, 8-1

LANSING, Mich. - Starter Shane Dawson turned in a gem of an outing and the Lansing Lugnuts (10-3) used a five-run seventh inning to deal the Fort Wayne TinCaps (3-7) an 8-1 defeat on Tuesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The Eastern Division-leading Lugnuts have outscored their opposition 23-4 in their past three games.

Dawson (Win, 1-0) set down 15 of 16 batters faced in five scoreless innings, striking out seven TinCaps and allowing only a Franchy Cordero second-inning double. The left-hander from Alberta has allowed a mere .098 batting average (5 hits in 51 at-bats) in 2015.

TinCaps starting pitcher Taylor Cox (Loss, 0-1) was not so bad himself. After Anthony Alford created a run in the first inning on a hustle double, sacrifice bunt and groundout, the Fort Wayne southpaw kept his team in the game.

A two-run sixth inning, thanks to a D.J. Davis RBI double and Danny Jansen RBI single, gave the Lugs a 3-0 lead and some breathing room.

The 'Caps mustered a response against reliever Starlyn Suriel, touching up the scoreboard on a Michael Gettys double and an error by second baseman Tim Locastro. Two batters later, the visitors had runners at first and third for prospect shortstop Franchy Cordero, but Suriel coaxed a threat-killing double play ball.

Lansing took over from there, crumpling the TinCaps' hopes on a Rowdy Tellez two-run double and Davis three-run triple in the home half put the game away.

Suriel fired 3 1/3 innings in relief of Dawson, allowing three hits and one run, recording one strikeout, before Phil Kish came in for the final two outs.

In his first game of the season after being activated from the Disabled List earlier in the day, centerfielder Alford went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. His fellow Mississippian Davis went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, while Locastro added a 3-for-4 performance out of the 9-hole.

Lansing is 4-0 against Fort Wayne this season.

The Lugnuts and TinCaps play the middle affair of their three-game series on Wednesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium, a Hump Day starring Humphrey the Camel! Right-hander Chase Mallard (0-0, 3.27) starts opposite TinCaps lefty Taylor Aikenhead (0-0, 11.37), with first pitch at 7:05 p.m.

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

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