Lansing secures sweep with comeback, walk-off

(Lansing, MI) - The Lake County Captains (16-29) were three outs away from salvaging the final game of a four-game series at Cooley Law School Stadium, but the Lansing Lugnuts (26-18) had other ideas. Lansing rallied to tie the game and won in 10 innings on a walk-off single by Ryan Hissey. The Lugnuts' 4-3 triumph completed a four-game series sweep and handed the Captains their sixth straight loss.
Lake County grabbed the lead in the top of the seventh. With the game tied at 1-1, Lugnuts reliever Andrew Deramo walked Luke Wakamatsu with two outs and Wakamatsu swiped second. Jose Vicente was at the plate with a chance to put the Captains on top, but the right-handed hitter bounced a grounder to third base. Luckily for Lake County, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. unleashed a low throw that skipped past first baseman Christian Williams, allowing Wakamatsu to score the go-ahead run. Todd Isaacs followed suit with an RBI double down the left field line that scored Vicente all the way from first to give the Captains a 3-1 lead.

The Captains held the lead until the ninth and Dalbert Siri came in from the Captains bullpen in a save situation, but the first batter of the inning got the Lansing rally started. Edward Olivares grounded to shortstop and Wakamatsu fumbled it to allow Olivares to reach on the error. Olivares then stole second and Siri walked Yeltsin Gudino to put the tying run on base.
Lansing played small ball. Nick Sinay dropped down a sacrifice bunt that moved Olivares up to third and Gudino to second. Jake Thomas then grounded out to shortstop for the second out, but the ground out plated Olivares to cut the Captains' lead to one run and moved Gudino to third base as the tying run. Gudino did not stay on third for long. Siri fired his first pitch to J.B. Woodman past Li-Jen Chu and to the backstop for a wild pitch and Gudino trotted home from third to tie the game.
The Lugnuts' bullpen worked around a Captains threat in the 10^th inning. Trenton Brooks walked and Jorma Rodriguez singled. After Chu sacrifice bunted, the Captains had two runners in scoring position with one out and the Lugnuts pulled the infield in.
Lansing reliever Zach Jackson got Gavin Collins to bounce to third and Guerrero threw out Brooks at home for the second out. With Collins on first and Rodriguez now on third, the Lugnuts called on lefty reliever Kirby Snead to face the Captains' big lefty Emmanuel Tapia. Snead got Tapia to sky out to center to end the inning and send the game to the bottom of the 10^th, still tied. When the Lugnuts won the game in the bottom of the frame, Snead (3-1) was credited with the win.
Siri remained on the mound for the Captains in the bottom of the 10^th. Bradley Jones singled with one out and then tried to steal second base. Chu's throw sailed into centerfield and Jones raced to third on the error. The Lugnuts had the winning run on third base with just one out and the Captains had to bring the infield in with Hissey at the plate. Hissey worked the count to 2-2 before yanking a single through the right side. Jones scored to win the game for the Lugnuts.
Long before the late-inning dramatics, the Captains and Lugnuts traded runs early thanks to a pair of balks. Lansing grabbed the lead in the bottom of the third. Captains starter Micah Miniard hit Sinay with one out. Sinay then stole second and moved to third on a balk before Thomas singled him home. The Captains answered in the fourth to tie the game. Rodriguez doubled against Lugnuts starter Denis Diaz balked Rodriguez to third base. Later in the frame, Tapia hit a sacrifice fly to score Rodriguez and tie the game.
Siri (0-1) suffered his first blown save and the loss. The right-hander lasted 1.1 innings and surrendered three runs, only one of which was earned. Siri gave up two hits, walked one and struck out one.
The Captains were swept in Lansing and will head to Bowling Green, KY to take on the Bowling Green Hot Rods in a four-game series. Game one is scheduled for Friday night at 7:35 PM EST.
Individual game tickets for all Captains games are on sale at the Classic Park box office, online at captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-WINS (9467). Full season tickets plans, 12-, 20-, and 35-game mini ticket plans for the 2017 season are on sale now at great prices complete with several exclusive benefits. Information can be found at the Captains website www.captainsbaseball.com.