COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps rallied twice and rode the wave of a five-run seventh inning and prevailed 7-3 over the Great Lakes Loons on a chilly Monday night at Fifth Third Ballpark.Tweet from @wmwhitecaps: ���Caps win! Same two teams for a noon game Tuesday. @mittenbrewingco pic.twitter.com/MVYzRokq6pBoth
COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps rallied twice and rode the wave of a five-run seventh inning and prevailed 7-3 over the Great Lakes Loons on a chilly Monday night at Fifth Third Ballpark.
Both offenses took a while to get into gear through the first four innings, but the Whitecaps manufactured an early 1-0 lead in the second inning off Loons starter Jesus Vargas on an infield single by Alexis Garcia. Elvin Rodriguez showed the 'Caps fan some good things in his first start, scattering five hits, recording five strikeouts and allowing two earned runs in his 4.1 innings of work before exiting the game in the fifth inning with the "Caps trailing 2-1. West Michigan tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth, but Great Lakes chased 'Caps reliever Burris Warner in the seventh inning with a run and a 3-2 lead. Clate Schmidt provided solid relief work for the Whitecaps, entering the seventh inning facing a bases-loaded situation and squashing a potential Loons rally.
The back-and-forth ended in the bottom of the seventh as the 'Caps plated five runs and took a 7-3 lead. The big blow came off the bat of 'Caps third baseman Colby Bortles, who smoked a two-run double off the right-field wall. Bortles tallied two hits and has now recorded at least one in each of his first four games. Cole Peterson also chipped in with a 2-for-5 performance and extended his hitting streak to four games as well.
West Michigan improved to 3-1 on the year, winning two straight. Schmidt (1-0) picked up the victory and did not allow a hit in his 2.2 innings of work. Alfredo Tavarez (0-1) picked up the loss for Great Lakes, who dipped to 2-3 on the season.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this four-game series against the Great Lakes Loons with a Tuesday afternoon contest at 12:00 p.m. Right-hander Jesus Rodriguez gets the start for West Michigan against Loons pitcher Max Gamboa. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Mike Coleman begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 11:50 a.m. Tickets are available for any Whitecaps 2018 home contest by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or by visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
Box Score
