‘Caps Fall to ‘Carp, 5-1
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps saw their four-game winning streak snapped as the offense failed to generate momentum in a 5-1 loss to the Beloit Sky Carp in front of 6,129 fans Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark. The ‘Caps put multiple baserunners on in just one inning,
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps saw their four-game winning streak snapped as the offense failed to generate momentum in a 5-1 loss to the Beloit Sky Carp in front of 6,129 fans Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark.
The ‘Caps put multiple baserunners on in just one inning, but they couldn’t find the big swing they needed, amassing only one run as they finished 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position while striking out nine times in the losing effort.
The Sky Carp took their first lead of the series in the first inning as designated hitter Kemp Alderman lined a single into center field, scoring Mark Coley II from second base and jumping in front 1-0. Meanwhile, Beloit starting pitcher and the no. 4 pitching prospect in baseball, Thomas White, retired the first nine hitters he faced before West Michigan finally broke through in the fourth as Luke Gold added an RBI single – leveling the game at 1-1. Beloit responded quickly, however, as Coley II added his second hit of the game – a two-run triple – forging the Sky Carp back in front 3-1. Beloit added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh as catcher Sam Praytor blasted a solo home run to center field before shortstop Johnny Olmstead added an RBI double, increasing their lead to 5-1. The Whitecaps only reached one baserunner in the final two innings as relievers Xavier Meachem and Justin Storm combined for two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to put the finishing touches on the 5-1 loss.
The Sky Carp improve to 18-22 in the second half and 48-55 overall, while the Whitecaps fall to 22-16 in the second half and 53-51 overall. White (2-2) collects his second win of the year, allowing just one run through five innings with five strikeouts, while ‘caps pitcher Colin Fields (2-5) suffers his fifth loss, giving up two runs through five innings in the defeat. The Whitecaps are now tied with the Dayton Dragons for first place in the Midwest League East division standings – a half-game ahead of the Lake County Captains.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series against the Beloit Sky Carp at LMCU Ballpark Friday night at 6:35 pm. Lefties Joe Miller and Emmett Olson get the starts on the mound. Tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler on the Whitecaps Baseball Network 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 your tickets for all 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.