‘Caps Bats Go Quiet in 1-0 Loss
PEORIA, IL – The West Michigan Whitecaps offense was stymied as part of a 1-0 Tuesday afternoon loss to the Peoria Chiefs in front of 6,326 fans at Dozer Park. The ‘Caps only logged one extra-base hit – a double to lead off the ballgame – and went 0-for-13 with
PEORIA, IL – The West Michigan Whitecaps offense was stymied as part of a 1-0 Tuesday afternoon loss to the Peoria Chiefs in front of 6,326 fans at Dozer Park.
The ‘Caps only logged one extra-base hit – a double to lead off the ballgame – and went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position as part of their third shutout of the season.
The contest played out as a pitcher’s duel, as starters Colin Fields and Connor Hjerpe for West Michigan and Peoria each posted four scoreless innings to begin the ballgame. The bullpens were also effective, keeping the game scoreless until the seventh, when Zach Levenson posted the first and only run of the contest with solo home run, his fifth of the season, to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. In the ninth, the Whitecaps enjoyed their best scoring opportunity, getting a leadoff walk to Roberto Campos and an infield single from Izaac Pacheco, but Peoria third baseman Michael Curialle caught Peyton Graham’s line drive, and the game ended when Chiefs outfielder Chris Rotando made a game-saving diving catch on Dom Johnson fly ball to shallow right-center field that could’ve scored two runs to give the ‘Caps the lead.
The Chiefs improve to 13-21 while the Whitecaps fall to 15-19. Peoria pitcher Inohan Paniagua (2-3) gets his second win of the year, tossing four scoreless innings with three strikeouts, while Tanner Jacobsen earns his first save, posting a scoreless ninth. Whitecaps reliever Chris Mauloni (0-1) suffers his first loss, giving up the lone run in the contest. Stephenson led the ‘Caps at the plate by going 2-for-3 with a double in a losing cause. The contest lasted just two hours and four minutes, marking the fastest game of the season for West Michigan, coming one game after the team played its longest contest of the year at three hours and 17 minutes in a 7-6, ten-inning loss to Fort Wayne on Sunday at LMCU Ballpark.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps and Peoria Chiefs continue this six-game set from Dozer Park on Wednesday at 7:05 pm. Pitcher Joe Miller, added to the Whitecaps roster on Tuesday, is scheduled to make his West Michigan debut, gets the start against Chiefs lefty Pete Hansen. Don’t miss the action; tune into broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Get tickets for all 2024 home contests or listen to games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.