Lugnuts outclass Cubs, 4-1

LANSING, Mich. – In front of 7,532 on the second Grand Slam School Day of the year, the Lansing Lugnuts (20-15) used a four-run seventh to top the South Bend Cubs (9-26), 4-1, on Wednesday afternoon at Jackson® Field™.

The Lugnuts won their second straight game in the series, following up Tuesday’s ninth-inning rally and tenth-inning 7-6 walk-off win with a second comeback.

Down 1-0 entering the bottom of the seventh against South Bend starter Evan Aschenbeck, Casey Yamauchi punched a one-out single and raced to third on a CJ Rodriguez double. Aschenbeck walked Sahid Valenzuela to load the bases and was pulled from the game.

Reliever Kenyi Perez walked Ryan Lasko to force in the game-tying run. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer followed with a single through the left side to score Rodriguez for a 2-1 lead, though Valenzuela was thrown out at the plate by Edgar Alvarez. Clark Elliott added insurance with a two-run single through the right side, plating Lasko and Kuroda-Grauer.

The Cubs’ offense collected nine hits against starter Steven Echavarria in a career high 5 1/3 innings, but only managed one run – an RBI double from Andy Garriola in the fourth inning.

The Nuts’ bullpen put the lid on from there: Tom Reisinger fired 1 2/3 hitless innings, Hunter Breault pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Blaze Pontes worked around a two-out walk in a scoreless ninth to wrap things up in a brisk two hours and 18 minutes.

Kuroda-Grauer and T.J. Schofield-Sam each collected a pair of hits to lead the offense, with Schofield-Sam finishing 2-for-3 with a HBP to lift his batting average to a league-leading .349.

Right-hander Grant Judkins starts the third game of the series at 7:05 p.m. on a Coors Light Thirsty Thursday with $3 drink specials, taking on South Bend rehabber Kohl Franklin. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at the stadium box office, (517) 485-4500 or online at milb.com/lansing.

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