As West Michigan prepared to play host to the Lansing Lugnuts in game one of the Midwest League Eastern Division Finals, manager Andrew Graham handed the ball to 6'6" righthander Jeff Thompson (0-1, 8.44 ERA) to toe the slab for West Michigan. Following a two-game sweep of Fort Wayne in the Division Quarterfinals, West Michigan welcomed a hot Lansing squad who finished the regular season in third overall at 73-66, clinching a first-half division title. Finishing the regular season with a final record of 7-11 with a 3.79 ERA, Thompson battled through 5 1/3 innings for West Michigan against a persistent Lansing offense, tagging Thompson for five earned runs off six hits throughout his outing.
Lugnuts 5, Whitecaps 4: Lansing offense overpowers West Michigan in Division Finals opener
