Errors cost Lugnuts in 5-3 loss

LANSING, Mich. - The Quad Cities River Bandits (3-4) used four unearned runs to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Lansing Lugnuts (3-4), 5-3, on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The Lugnuts entered the night with only three errors in their first six games, ranking their defense second-best in the league, but two key misplays led to defeat.

After a Mitch Nay single put the Lugnuts ahead in the first, a three-base error in left field by Derrick Loveless set up Austin Elkins to drive in the tying run for Quad Cities in the second inning.

Thanks to fine work from Lansing's Jeremy Gabryszwski and Quad Cities' Evan Grills, each completing five innings of one-run baseball, the game remained knotted until the seventh inning.

With two runners on and two outs, Lugnuts center fielder D.J. Davis dropped a Tyler White fly ball, allowing a pair of runs to come across off of reliever Brady Dragmire (L, 1-2). Conrad Gregor followed with an RBI single to put Quad Cities ahead, 4-1.

Lansing sparked a rally in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI triple by Santiago Nessy, brought in himself by a Justin Atkinson RBI single to close to deficit to one run, but Michael Feliz (W, 1-0) worked out of the inning to preserve the lead.

The Bandits added an insurance run in the ninth before Andrew Walter (Sv., 1) recorded the final three outs around a one-out walk to Nessy.

In the loss, Dickie Joe Thon extended his season-opening hitting streak to seven games with a single in the bottom of the first inning. The Lugnuts second baseman currently holds a .310 batting average.

Lansing opens a three-game series with the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Friday at Cooley Law School Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with RHP Adonys Cardona (0-1, 4.50 ERA) scheduled to start on the mound for the Lugnuts. LHP Randy Rosario (0-1, 7.36) starts for the Kernels.

Lansing Lugnuts tickets are available for purchase via the Cooley Law School Stadium box office, telephone at 517-485-4500 and online at lansinglugnuts.com. To sign up for Lugnuts Alerts, text LUGNUTS to 80373.

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