‘Caps Sneak Past Carp, 4-1
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — West Michigan Whitecaps starting pitcher Carlos Marcano enjoyed his best start of the season as the ‘Caps scored three runs across the final two innings to earn the 4-1 victory over the Beloit Sky Carp in front of 7,699 fans Sunday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark. Marcano
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — West Michigan Whitecaps starting pitcher Carlos Marcano enjoyed his best start of the season as the ‘Caps scored three runs across the final two innings to earn the 4-1 victory over the Beloit Sky Carp in front of 7,699 fans Sunday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark.
Marcano totaled nine strikeouts – tying the most by a Whitecaps pitcher this season – while allowing just one run across six innings pitched as he combined with relievers Bryce Tassin, Tanner Kohlhepp, and Marco Jimenez for 13 punchouts while holding Beloit to just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, Max Anderson and Seth Stephenson both enjoyed three-hit games as Anderson reached base five times in the win.
Beloit grabbed the lead in the top of the fourth inning as Sky Carp first baseman Brock Vradenberg scored Mark Coley II on an RBI single before West Michigan leveled the game at 1-1 in the bottom half on an RBI single by Stephenson. Marcano retired six-straight Beloit hitters through the fifth and sixth frames before Jim Jarvis inched the ‘Caps in front in the seventh, adding an RBI single to make it 2-1. West Michigan then added a pair of crucial insurance runs in the eighth inning – highlighted by an RBI double from Stephenson – as Kohlhepp and Jimenez combined for four strikeouts through two scoreless frames to put the finishing touches on the 4-1 win.
The Whitecaps improve to 24-17 in the second half and 55-52 overall, while the Sky Carp fall to 19-24 in the second half and 49-57 on the year. Tassin (1-0) secures his first win with the Whitecaps this season, throwing one scoreless inning as Beloit reliever Justin Storm (0-1) suffers his first loss, allowing a run through an inning pitched. The Whitecaps now sit 0.5 games behind the Dayton Dragons for first place in the Midwest League East division.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps hit the road to Lansing for a six-game series against the in-state Lugnuts beginning Tuesday night at 7:05pm. Lefty Joe Adametz gets the start for West Michigan against Lansing’s Mitch Myers. 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 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.