Whitecaps Dropped by Dragons, 2-1
DAYTON, OH — The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a strong pitching performance as they put the potential go-ahead run on-base in the ninth inning but failed to complete the rally, falling to the Dayton Dragons 2-1 in front of 7,978 fans Saturday evening at Day Air Ballpark. Whitecaps pitchers limited
DAYTON, OH — The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a strong pitching performance as they put the potential go-ahead run on-base in the ninth inning but failed to complete the rally, falling to the Dayton Dragons 2-1 in front of 7,978 fans Saturday evening at Day Air Ballpark.
Whitecaps pitchers limited the Dragons to just six base runners in the contest - holding Dayton to an 0-for-3 mark with runners in scoring position – but the offense couldn’t capitalize, going just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position while striking out 11 times in the narrow loss. The ‘Caps have now lost three straight games and will need a Sunday victory in order to leave Dayton to leave with a split of their six-game series with the Dragons after winning the first two contests earlier in the week.
Dayton jumped on the lead in the second inning as Victor Acosta added an RBI triple, plating catcher Cade Hunter and taking the 1-0 advantage. Meanwhile, Dragons starting pitcher Jared Lyons was spotless on the bump, totaling seven punchouts through five scoreless frames before Dragons right fielder Jay Allen scored a critical insurance run in the sixth inning – crossing the plate on a wild pitch as the lead grew to 2-0. West Michigan finally cracked the scoreboard in the eighth as Austin Murr plated Josh Crouch on an RBI single, trimming the lead to 2-1. In the top of the ninth, the ‘Caps put runners on second and third with two outs before Dayton closer Joseph Menefee struck out Danny Serretti, snuffing out the Whitecaps late rally and earning Dayton their third-straight win in the series.
The Dragons improve to 12-14 on the season, while the Whitecaps fall to 10-16. Lyons (1-1) secures his first win of the season while Menefee collects his first save, tossing 1.1 scoreless frames with three punchouts. Despite a strong showing, Whitecaps starter Garrett Burhenn (0-3) suffers his third loss, giving up just one run through five innings pitched. Menefee collected his first save of the season. Whitecaps starting pitchers have yet to record a win through the first 26 games of the season, falling to 0-9 after the defeat.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps wrap up this six-game series at Day Air Ballpark against the Dayton Dragons with a Sunday matinee at 1:05 pm. The Whitecaps send newly anointed Midwest League Pitcher of the Month Jaden Hamm to the mound against Dayton’s Javi Rivera. Don’t miss the action; tune into broadcast coverage with Nate Wangler on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 12:50 pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Get tickets for all 2024 home contests or listen to games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.