Whitecaps Downed by Lake County, 4-2
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — Despite making a lot of hard contact, the West Michigan Whitecaps couldn’t find a big swing when they needed it as the Lake County Captains defense stood tall in a 4-2 loss in front of 7,792 fans Friday night at LMCU Ballpark. The Whitecaps fell victim
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — Despite making a lot of hard contact, the West Michigan Whitecaps couldn’t find a big swing when they needed it as the Lake County Captains defense stood tall in a 4-2 loss in front of 7,792 fans Friday night at LMCU Ballpark.
The Whitecaps fell victim to several good defensive plays by the Captains – including a home run robbing catch by left fielder Ralphy Velazquez – as they struggled to generate any offensive momentum – finishing 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position while amassing just two hits the final five innings in the defeat.
The Whitecaps grabbed the lead in the first inning as Roberto Campos skipped a ground-rule double over the center field wall before Izaac Pacheco scored him on an RBI double – putting West Michigan in front 1-0. Lake County leveled the game in the third as outfielder Jake Fox added an RBI single, 1-1. Both teams added individual tallies in the sixth as Captains infielder Alex Mooney lifted a bloop RBI single into center field before Campos crossed the plate on a double play in the bottom half, tying the ballgame at 2-2. Lake County took their first lead of the ballgame in the eighth as Velazquez followed an RBI double by designated hitter Angel Ganao with a sacrifice fly, forging the Captains in front 4-2. The Whitecaps put a pair of baserunners on in the bottom half but couldn’t convert, as Captains reliever Adam Tulloch finished the frame with a punchout before closer Allan Hernandez retired the ‘Caps in order, concluding the ninth and sending West Michigan to the 4-2 loss.
The Captains improve to 26-24 in the second half and 67-49 overall, while the Whitecaps fall to 29-22 in the second half and 60-57 overall. Tulloch (5-0) secures his fifth win of the season, throwing two scoreless frames with four strikeouts, while Whitecaps reliever Jake Miller (0-2) suffers his second loss, giving up three runs through five innings pitched. The Whitecaps now sit 4.5 games behind the Dayton Dragons for first place in the Midwest League East standings with 14 games remaining.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the penultimate contest of this six-game series, with the ‘Caps one win away from gaining a series split against the Lake County Captains on Saturday at 7:05 pm. Lefty Joe Miller takes the mound for West Michigan against Lake County hurler Carter Spivey. Tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler 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.