‘Caps Rally From 3-0 Deficit in 5-3 Win
SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps erased a three-run deficit and moved their record to the best it’s been during the 2024 season as part of a 5-3 victory over the South Bend Cubs on Thursday night at Four Winds Field. West Michigan, who entered Thursday’s contest holding
SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps erased a three-run deficit and moved their record to the best it’s been during the 2024 season as part of a 5-3 victory over the South Bend Cubs on Thursday night at Four Winds Field.
West Michigan, who entered Thursday’s contest holding a record of 10-16 when their opponent scores first, watched the Cubs build a 3-0 lead after five innings before scoring five unanswered runs to finish the ballgame. The ‘Caps now sit at a season-best four games over .500 at 29-25, have won 19 of their last 28 games since a 10-16 start to begin 2024 regular season, and are just two games out of first place in the Midwest League Eastern Division.
The game moved swiftly into the fourth inning in a scoreless tie before South Bend infielder Pedro Ramirez swiped home plate as part of a double steal, becoming the first opposing player to steal home against West Michigan in 2024 to take a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Jonathon Long blasted his sixth home run and second of the series to extend the Cubs lead to 3-0. The score remained the same until the sixth when Whitecaps outfielder Dom Johnson launched his first home run of the year and second in his ‘Caps career to cut the deficit to 3-1. An inning later, An RBI-double by Josh Crouch combined with a wild throw from South Bend shortstop Jefferson Rojas to score two runs and tie the game at three before Seth Stephenson put West Michigan ahead with a sacrifice fly to take a 4-3 lead. In the eighth, Max Anderson scored an insurance run on a South Bend throwing error to extend the advantage to 5-3, ending the scoring in the contest and giving the Whitecaps wins on back-to-back nights away from home.
The Cubs record drops to 23-31, while the loss goes to reliever Ty Johnson (0-1) in his first appearance in the Midwest League this season. Pitcher Colin Fields started for West Michigan and retired the first ten batters he faced before finishing the night allowing three runs in five innings pitched. ‘Caps reliever Marco Jimenez (3-1) tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to collect his third win of the season, while Michael Bienlien finished the contest with a pair of scoreless frames for his fourth save of the 2024 campaign. Max Anderson reached base three times with a 1-2 performance, plus a pair of walks at the plate to lead the ‘Caps in the victory.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the fourth game of this six-game series against the South Bend Cubs from Four Winds Field on Friday at 7:05 pm. Lefty Joe Miller gets the start for West Michigan against fellow southpaw Drew Gray. To catch all the action, tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Don’t miss out on the excitement; get your tickets for all 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.