The Lansing Lugnuts, who had endured three straight losses to the Dragons, had all the fun on the field. They were the villains and produced 16 hits, including six for extra bases, and drubbed the Dragons 14-1 with a four-run inning and an eight-run inning.
“Big innings, happened quick — that was it,” Dragons manager Vince Harrison Jr. said.
The game was moving so rapidly in the Lugnuts’ favor that it threatened to finish faster than Thursday night’s two-hour and five-minute Dragons victory. The Dragons helped the pace by swinging early. But their aggressive approach produced too much soft contact and stopped them from making most of their eight hits count.
The Lugnuts are to blame for the game extending to an unmerciful two hours and 17 minutes. They were having so much fun that they decided to send 14 batters to the plate in the ninth inning and score eight runs on seven hits, a hit batter and three walks.
When the inning mercifully ended with high fly ball to Jay Allen II in left field, the fans who remained — at most half — cheered sarcastically. Then the Dragons went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, the remaining faithful packed up and quietly departed.
The clubhouse after the game was as quiet as it is during the game when no one is in there.
Still, the Dragons (28-28) can win the six-game series Sunday and get back to a game over .500.
“A chance to win a series — that’s all we need to focus on,” Harrison said. “Nothing else other than that, and that’s what we play for. No need to stress anything with them other than move on from this one quickly. We have a better chance to get focused on tomorrow already. That’s going to be our message for tonight.”
Believe it or not, which was one of the between-innings games, the Dragons scored first. Hector Rodriguez, Sal Stewart and Cam Collier hit consecutive singles and Collier knocked in Rodriguez in the first inning. The Dragons had five more hits but never had more than one baserunner in an inning.
Dragons starter Jose Franco made his second start for the Dragons since joining them from Daytona. He dominated the Lugnuts (29-27) with two quick innings to start. But starting with a leadoff double by Danny Bautista Jr. to start the third, the Lugnuts overpowered Franco, a 23-year-old from Venezuela.
A single came next, then a three-run homer by ninth-place hitter Colby Halter. With one out, Henry Bolte tripled and scored on a single for a 4-1 lead
The Lugnuts added two runs in the fourth off T.J. Sikkema, and the Dragons hung around. And most of the fans did too, waiting for the fun, late-inning Dragons to show up with the excitement of Roof Man. Instead, the Lugnuts started sending fans home in the top of the ninth.
The first eight batters to reach base scored and each run was charged to Brody Jessee, whose ERA rose from 8.24 to 10.97. However, it was not the most runs the Dragons have allowed this season in an inning. That happened on April 26 when Lansing scored nine. The seven hits are the most hits the Dragons have allowed in an inning.
And the 14 runs? The most scored against the Dragons this season.
SUNDAY’S GAME
Lugnuts at Dragons, 1:05 p.m., 980
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