Lugs pull off two more comebacks, sweep Caps with 11th-inning walkoff

LANSING, Mich. - The Lansing Lugnuts (35-19) rallied from a four-run deficit in the ninth inning and a two-run deficit in the tenth inning, walking off the Lake County Captains (21-33) in the eleventh, 8-7, on a Norberto Obeso RBI single on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium.
AUDIO: The Lugnuts come back in the 9th and 10th, win in 11th

The Lugnuts completed the three-game sweep of the Captains and finished their seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record - including four remarkable comeback wins.

The homestand began on Friday, May 25th, with the Nuts scoring two runs in the seventh inning to rally past Fort Wayne, 5-4. The next night, Lansing came all the way back from a 10-3 deficit, plating five runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, and then scored two runs in the tenth for a wild 12-11 victory.

That same magic showed up in the series with Lake County. On Wednesday, the Lugnuts came back from a late 2-0 deficit, seizing a 3-2 win on Ryan Noda 's two-run homer in the eighth.

This was the perfect capper.

The Captains hit three home runs against Lugs starter Colton Laws , including back-to-back shots by center fielder Oscar Gonzalez and catcher Jonathan Laureano in a four-run first inning, to build a 5-1 lead going to the ninth.

Lake County reliever Tommy DeJuneas plunked both Brock Lundquist and Yeltsin Gudino with pitches opening the inning. Noda followed with an RBI single, cutting the lead to three. After a strikeout of Andres Sotillo , Obeso's single to right field loaded the bases. Reggie Pruitt brought the deficit to 5-3 with an RBI groundout. A passed ball by Laureano brought in Noda, making it 5-4. And then Chavez Young finished the comeback with an RBI infield single up the middle of the diamond, plating Obeso with the game-tying run. Kevin Vicuña nearly followed with the game-winning hit, but his sharp liner to left-center was flagged down by Gonzalez, forcing extras.

The Captains responded in the tenth, building a 7-5 lead against Brody Rodning on a Nolan Jones RBI double and a Laureano sacrifice fly.

In the home half, however, Lundquist clobbered a two-run homer to right-center, his league-leading tenth home run of the year, and the game was tied once more.

After Andrew Deramo (Win, 2-0) set the Captains down scorelessly in the eleventh inning, stranding runners at second and third by striking out Tyler Friis and Will Benson, the Lugs' offense was ready to finish matters.

Another Laureano passed ball moved pinch-runner Samad Taylor to third base. Sotillo struck out against reliever Riley Echols (Loss, 1-3), but Obeso followed by lining the first pitch he saw into right-center, delivering his second walk-off hit of the year and the Lugnuts' fourth walk-off of 2018.

Obeso finished the night 4-for-5, his first four-hit game of the season. In defeat, Lake County's Gonzalez also went 4-for-5, finishing a triple shy of the cycle.

The Lugnuts now head out on a 14-day, 13-game road trip, taking them to Dayton, Bowling Green, Fort Wayne and Lake County.

They will return to Cooley Law School Stadium on Friday, June 15th, opening a three-game series against South Bend featuring Family Faith Night with LAFCU Fireworks on June 15th, Star Wars Night with LAFCU Fireworks on June 16th, and a Father's Day Delta Dental Kids Day with a special Jersey Giveaway on June 17th. To purchase tickets and live the Lug Life, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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