Jarvis Homers For First ‘Caps Hit in 3-2 Win
SOUTH BEND, IN – In a game that will be remembered for West Michigan Whitecaps infielder Jim Jarvis’s impactful debut, his first hit with the team was a game-changer. His go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie, leading the Whitecaps to a 3-2 victory over the
SOUTH BEND, IN – In a game that will be remembered for West Michigan Whitecaps infielder Jim Jarvis’s impactful debut, his first hit with the team was a game-changer. His go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie, leading the Whitecaps to a 3-2 victory over the South Bend Cubs on Wednesday night in front of a roaring crowd of 4,695 at Four Winds Field.
Jarvis, added to the ‘Caps roster on Tuesday, who had posted a .817 OPS in May for Single-A Lakeland, turned the contest in West Michigan’s favor with the third homer of his professional career to help the Whitecaps take down a Cubs team that entered Wednesday’s game having won nine of their past 13 contests.
The game moved swiftly into the sixth inning in a scoreless tie before the two teams traded single runs in the sixth. With the game knotted at one in the eighth, ‘Caps catcher Bennett Lee drew a leadoff walk and was moved to second base on a Seth Stephenson sacrifice bunt, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position for Jarvis. The 23-year-old wasted no time, blasting the first pitch he saw over the high right-centerfield wall, giving him his first West Michigan base hit in his seventh ‘Caps at-bat and giving the Whitecaps a 3-1 lead. What came next was even more improbable, as reliever Zack Hess allowed an RBI-single to South Bend shortstop Jefferson Rojas to bring the ‘Caps lead to 3-2 and loaded the bases with one out, manager Tony Cappuccilli brought in pitcher Jack Anderson for a five-out save. Anderson, who returned from Toledo on Monday, induced an inning-ending double play from Cubs outfielder Parker Chavers to finish the eighth; also stranded the tying run at third base by getting Ed Howard to ground out in the ninth to finish the contest and help the ‘Caps even the series at one win apiece.
The Whitecaps jump back to three games over .500, tying their best 2024 mark at 28-25, while the Cubs drop to 23-30. Reliever Max Alba was used as an opener, who tossed the first two innings and kept the Cubs off the scoreboard before Dylan Smith, the regularly scheduled pitcher, threw three scoreless frames. Pitcher Tanner Kohlhepp (6-3) tossed two innings and gave up one unearned run in collecting his sixth win of the season, while South Bend lefty Mitchell Tyranski (1-3) gave up the two-run homer to Jarvis in suffering his third loss of 2024. Anderson earned his first save of the season by tossing 1.2 scoreless innings to finish the contest.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps move this six-game series from Four Winds Field against the South Bend Cubs to Thursday at 7:05 pm. Righties Colin Fields and Will Sanders get the starts for West Michigan and South Bend, respectively. 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.