Lansing Lugnuts top Michigan State in Crosstown Showdown
LANSING, Mich. (BVM) – It has been 946 days since the Lansing Lugnuts and the Michigan State Spartans last faced off on the diamond, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the matchup from happening for two years.
The two teams met up again on Wednesday night for the typically annual Crosstown Showdown exhibition, a game that saw the Lugnuts — the high-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics — edge out the Spartans, 3-2. The game brings together fans of minor league baseball as well as fans of Michigan State athletics in an event that unites the cities of Lansing and East Lansing.
The game started off with a tremendous pitching matchup, featuring Spartans’ righty Ryan Szczepaniak, and Lugnuts’ Joey Estes, who was part of the trade in March that sent Athletics’ first baseman Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves.
Both Szczepaniak and Estes struck out the side in the first inning. It would be Szczepaniak’s only inning pitched, while Estes went four innings and allowed two hits, one run, and recorded five strikeouts.
“Joey did a really nice job,” Lugnuts first year-manager Phil Pohl said. “I think he’s going to be a really nice rotation piece for us all year. I know he’s pretty new to our organization, came over from Atlanta. We’re really happy to have him.”
Spartans first baseman Peter Ahn got the scoring started in the top of the second inning with a monster home run into right center, putting MSU up 1-0. Ahn finished the game with two hits and two RBIs.
“Really cool experience,” Ahn said about his home run, as well as the atmosphere of the game. “Awesome seeing everybody come out here, having a ton of fans. [We] didn’t win, so that definitely stings, but it felt good today.”
The Lugnuts answered Ahn’s homer in the bottom of the second, as Aidan Arbaugh, who entered in relief of Szczepaniak, allowed two walks, and a subsequent two-run RBI double from designated hitter Jack Winkler. Arbaugh responded with two strikeouts to end the inning, but Winkler put the Lugnuts in front, 2-1.
“He threw me a changeup down the middle, so I got a good swing on it,” Winkler said.
The Lugnuts would add another run in the bottom of the third when second baseman Drew Swift hit a leadoff double into right field. Third baseman Brett Harris followed with a single into left after a lengthy at-bat. Shortstop Euribel Angeles hit a sacrifice fly into center field to add another run to the Lugnuts’ lead, 3-1.
The game became slightly controversial in the top of the sixth, as the officiating crew made two calls that the crowd did not approve of. The first was a close call at first base as Spartans’ shortstop Mitch Jebb was called out after a ground ball in the infield. The second came on a foul ball from Ahn that appeared to hit the foul line in left field, but the umpire did not signal it fair.
Ahn would then hit a triple, however, to score Zach Iverson from first base, and cut into the Lugnuts’ lead, 3-2.
“Stay on time for the fastball,” Ahn said. “Baseball is a game of chance. If you take your chances, you’re gonna get it.”
The score would remain 3-2 as the Lugnuts shut the door on the Spartans in the top of the seventh inning. It is the Lugnuts’ 12th win in 14 matchups with the Spartans.
“It was great, the atmosphere was great,” Pohl said about his first Crosstown Showdown. “It was a lot of fun playing those guys. I got a chance to talk to Coach [Jake] Boss a little bit before the game, and meet him, and catch up. Those guys did a really nice job tonight, it’s really good for the fans and the community to get out here and mold professional baseball and the collegiate side, so it was a good experience.”
“It was fun to finally get out here and see the fans, put the uniforms on and all that,” Winkler said about the game. “It was kind of a little warm-up before Friday, so it was good to play in front of everybody.”
The Lugnuts begin their season on Friday at home against the Lake County Captains for a three-game series. Pohl says the team made a good first impression on him tonight.
“This is our first time we’ve really played a live game out here in the elements, a lot of these guys aren’t used to the colder weather, so I was pleased, we played a pretty clean game defensively, I thought we did a nice job,” he said.
“We’re excited,” Winkler said about the upcoming season. “Since we left Arizona, we knew we were gonna be pretty good, so I think getting the lineup together, I think we’re all excited to play together.”
