‘Caps Ride Eight-Run First To 11-2 Win
LANSING, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps scored eight runs before their opponents got a chance to bat in an 11-2 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts, as every ‘Caps position player recorded at least one base hit for the second straight day at Jackson Field on Wednesday. Outfielder Max Clark
LANSING, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps scored eight runs before their opponents got a chance to bat in an 11-2 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts, as every ‘Caps position player recorded at least one base hit for the second straight day at Jackson Field on Wednesday.
Outfielder Max Clark enjoyed his first four-hit game as a pro, while Thayron Liranzo launched his third home run in two days as the ‘Caps held their place atop the Midwest League Eastern Division over the Dayton Dragons.
The Whitecaps jumped all over Lansing starter Kade Morris, sending 11 hitters to the plate. Liranzo launched a 420-foot homer over the batter’s eye in center field to give West Michigan a 3-0 lead. Later in the frame, West Michigan plated five more with a furious two-out rally that began with RBI-singles from Bennett Lee and Seth Stephenson before Clark drilled a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch, tying the ‘Caps biggest single-inning scoring output of the season. A run-scoring double highlighted two more runs coming home in the second, and two innings in, the Whitecaps held a 10-1 lead. Five pitchers, led by new ‘Caps starter Joseph Montalvo, combined to hold the Lugnuts, one of the top offenses in the Midwest League, to just two runs on seven hits as part of West Michigan’s third straight win.
The Whitecaps improve to 26-17 in the second half and a season-best five games over .500 at 57-52 overall, while the Lugnuts fall to 19-25 in the second half and 51-58 on the year. Bryce Tassin (2-0) tossed 1.1 innings in relief as part of a Minor League Rehab Assignment to collect his second win as Whitecap. Lansing starter Kade Morris (0-3) gave up ten runs in three frames in his third loss in three games since joining the Lugnuts. Aside from Clark’s four-hit performance, two-hit games came from Liranzo, Stephenson, Lee, and Max Anderson in the victory.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps six-game series against the Lansing Lugnuts continues on Thursday at 7:05 pm. Righty Colin Fields gets the start for West Michigan against Lugnuts lefty Will Johnston. Tune into the 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 to catch all the action. Don’t miss out on the excitement; get your tickets for all 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.