Whitecaps Dropped in Dayton, 5-3
DAYTON, OH — The West Michigan Whitecaps lost a three-run lead and suffered a significant hit to their postseason chances as part of a 5-3 loss to the Dayton Dragons on Wednesday night in front of 7,449 fans at Day Air Ballpark. The ‘Caps, who built a 3-0 lead after
DAYTON, OH — The West Michigan Whitecaps lost a three-run lead and suffered a significant hit to their postseason chances as part of a 5-3 loss to the Dayton Dragons on Wednesday night in front of 7,449 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
The ‘Caps, who built a 3-0 lead after three innings, watched Dayton score five unanswered runs to fall 5.5 games back of Dayton in the Midwest League Eastern Division Standings with ten games remaining in the 2024 regular season.
The Whitecaps, like the Dragons on Tuesday, were the team to strike first on Wednesday. A sacrifice fly from Jim Jarvis in the second set the table for a run-scoring single from Max Anderson and a double from Roberto Campos to bring the score to 3-0 in favor of West Michigan. The Dragons fought back in the fourth when an error and run-scoring single from John Michael Faile trimmed the ‘Caps lead to 3-2, chasing Whitecaps starter Jaden Hamm from the contest. Hamm had retired the first nine batters he faced to begin the contest before giving up a pair of runs in the fourth. An inning later, reliever Tanner Kohlhepp allowed the bottom three hitters in the Dragons order to reach safely, setting the table for the Dragons to take the lead. RBI singles from Leo Balcazar and Ethan O’Donnell highlighted a three-run frame to give Dayton a 5-3 edge. Dragons relievers Easton Sikorski and Simon Miller combined to hold the ‘Caps scoreless for the final 3.2 frames and send the Dragons one step closer to a trip to the 2024 postseason.
The Whitecaps fall to 30-25 in the second half and 61-60 overall. Dayton starter Graham Osman (1-0) worked around some early Whitecaps scoring opportunities to toss 5.1 innings and give up three runs to earn his first Dragons victory of the season, while Kohlhepp (7-5) takes his fifth loss. Miller worked a perfect ninth out of the bullpen to record his seventh save. Campos and Johnny Peck each collected a pair of hits for the ‘Caps in a losing cause. Each team also continued to play through sweltering temperatures on Wednesday, with the first pitch temperature announced at 93 degrees, just two degrees lower than Tuesday’s series opener.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps and Dayton Dragons move their six-game series to Thursday at 7:05 pm. Pitcher Joseph Montalvo gets the start for West Michigan against Dayton righty Brian Edgington. Tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network beginning 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 tickets for all remaining 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.