‘Caps Wash Away Lugnuts, 7-3
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps fell behind early before exploding for five runs in the fourth inning as the bullpen stifled the Lansing Lugnuts in a 7-3 comeback victory in front of 5,219 fans on a rain-soaked Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark. The Whitecaps trailed 3-1 going
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps fell behind early before exploding for five runs in the fourth inning as the bullpen stifled the Lansing Lugnuts in a 7-3 comeback victory in front of 5,219 fans on a rain-soaked Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark.
The Whitecaps trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the fourth when they struck for five runs – highlighted by a three-run single from Max Anderson – as relievers Connor Holden, Matt Merrill, and Marco Jimenez combined for 6.1 scoreless frames to put the finishing touches on the 7-3 victory.
The ‘Caps grabbed the lead in the second on a solo homer from Izaac Pacheco, but the Lugnuts were quick to respond, chasing Whitecaps starter Joseph Montalvo from the game with three runs in the third inning – featuring a pair of RBI triples from Ryan Lasko and Luke Mann – as they forged in front 3-1. West Michigan responded in the following inning, batting around to plate five runs as they retook the lead, 6-3. Meanwhile, Merrill and Holden were dominant out of the pen, tossing 5.1 scoreless frames as the Whitecaps added another insurance tally in the eighth with a bases-loaded walk from Roberto Campos to extend the advantage to 7-3.
Rain began to fall heavily in the bottom of the eighth, leading to a brief rain delay in the top of the ninth before eventually resuming play as ‘Caps closer Jimenez slammed the door with a flyout to center field to send the ‘Caps to the 7-3 victory. During the delay, Lugnuts manager Craig Conklin was ejected by base umpire Jabril Geter-Abdulah.
The Whitecaps improve to 35-27 in the second half and 66-62 overall, while the Lugnuts fall to 26-37 in the second half and 58-70 on the season. Holden (3-1) secures his third win of the season, while Lansing reliever Drew Conover (0-1) suffers his first loss, giving four runs while failing to record an out. With the win, the Whitecaps guarantee a winning overall record in the 2024 season.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play their final Friday night contest as part of their six-game series against the Lansing Lugnuts from LMCU Ballpark at 6:35 pm. Righty Colin Fields makes his final Whitecaps start of 2024 against the Lugnuts Grant Judkins. Tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler on the Whitecaps Baseball Network beginning at 6:20 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 tickets for all remaining 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.