Sha, Nuts get back on track with 8-5 win
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Rodney Green Jr. keyed a six-run second inning with a two-run single (on a 4-and-2 pitch!), Tzu-Chen Sha allowed three runs in six innings, and the Lansing Lugnuts (12-20) beat the South Bend Cubs (16-13), 8-5, on Saturday afternoon at Four Winds Field. The win ended
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Rodney Green Jr. keyed a six-run second inning with a two-run single (on a 4-and-2 pitch!), Tzu-Chen Sha allowed three runs in six innings, and the Lansing Lugnuts (12-20) beat the South Bend Cubs (16-13), 8-5, on Saturday afternoon at Four Winds Field.
The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Nuts at South Bend.
A symbol of the turnaround was Cubs starter Cole Reynolds, who had tossed three perfect innings in the Tuesday series opener but was knocked out after allowing the first five batters to reach in the second inning.
The fourth of the batters was Green, who worked the count full. Reynolds missed inside with a 3-2 breaking ball, causing Green to discard his shin guard and elbow guard – but home plate umpire Dakota Kilgore had lost track of the count and kept him at the plate. Without his batting equipment, Green knocked the next pitch up the middle, bringing home Nate Nankil and Gunner Gouldsmith for a 3-0 lead.
Ali Camarillo added an RBI single, Devin Taylor lined a sacrifice fly and Casey Yamauchi lasered an RBI single off reliever Nate Williams to increase the Nuts’ lead to 6-0.
Two innings later, Yamauchi added an RBI double and Dylan Fien plated him with an RBI single to wrap up the Lansing scoring.
Sha took it from there with his first quality start since June 18, 2025, and the Lugnuts’ third quality start of the year. The right-hander from Taiwan blanked the Cubs in five of his six innings, giving up three runs in the third. He finished with a flourish, fanning Drew Bowser for his fourth strikeout to end the sixth.
Jack Mahoney pitched the seventh and eighth innings, allowing a pair of runs, before Jake Garland faced the minimum in the ninth for his first save of the year.
Of Lansing’s starting lineup, every batter except for Devin Taylor scored a run. Both Green and Yamauchi finished 3-for-5 with a single, double, triple and two runs batted in, and leadoff hitter Bobby Boser drew three walks.
Right-hander Nathan Dettmer makes his 2026 Lugnuts debut in the Sunday series finale at 2:05 p.m. South Bend’s starter has yet to be announced.
The Lugnuts return home from May 12-17 to host the Quad Cities River Bandits. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.
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