Whitecaps' Woodrow has perfect night at plate

Danny Woodrow had never had seven plate appearances in a game before Friday, but he certainly took advantage of his first time.
The Tigers prospect collected a career-high five hits, including two of Class A West Michigan's Midwest League record 11 doubles, walked twice and drove in two runs as the Whitecaps outslugged Lansing, 15-8, at Cooley Law School Stadium.

Gameday box score
"It was just one of those nights where you're seeing the ball well, you try to get them as much as you can, but it doesn't happen all the time," he said. "A lot of guys contributing, so it was fun to be a part of that game."
Woodrow set the tone on the first pitch of the game with a single to left field. The 22-year-old knocked a first-pitch single to right and walked in the second as the Whitcaps sent 12 batters to the plate and scored six times.
"I like to be aggressive right off the bat," he said. "First pitch is sometimes the best one, so if it's where you're looking for it, then put a good swing on it and see what happens. I was fortunate to have it fall."
Woodrow slapped a first-pitch single to center in the fourth and a first-pitch RBI double to center in the sixth. The Creighton product showed some patience in the eighth, ripping a 1-0 offering from reliever Andrew Deramo to left for another double.
"I just like to be able to see the ball and hit the ball where it's pitched, not try to do too much with it," he said. "If you just hit it where it's pitched, sometimes it just goes to all fields."

Getting on base seven times, Woodrow scored a career-high four runs. It marked the second time in his last three games that the left-handed hitter had a pair of doubles and he boosted his average to .300.
As the Whitecaps kept rolling, the Chicago native came up again in the ninth, this time with the bases loaded and no outs. On his longest at-bat of the night, Woodrow worked the count full before drawing a walk for his second RBI.
"Just look for my pitch, be patient. If he throws it first pitch, swing, but if he doesn't, keep waiting and wait for the pitch," he remembered thinking. "I think that at-bat, I was able to grind out a walk. Didn't get any good pitches to hit but still fortunate to get on base."
The Whitecaps eclipsed the previous league record of 10 doubles -- set by South Bend on July 23, 2000 -- and tied the team mark with 25 hits. Josh Lester had three doubles and a career-high six RBIs, while Blaise Salter collected four hits.
"It was fun," Woodrow said. "It's fun when all the guys are hitting well. A lot of good energy in the dugout to feed off of."
Reliever Jake Shull (1-1) got the win after yielding one run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. Locke St. John worked the final three frames for his first save, allowing a run on three hits and a walk with one punchout.