CONTROVERSY REIGNS AS 'CAPS FALL IN 15
West Michigan (23-25, 59-59) and Bowling Green (29-19, 67-51) combined to go 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position and left 25 runners on base in a game that lasted four hours and 32 minutes.
The controversial call occurred with the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the 12th inning.
After Eugenio Suarez reached base on a two-out error, Aaron Westlake drilled a double into the gap in right-center field. Suarez burned around the bases all the way from first and appeared to score standing up as the cut-off throw sailed high and wide. The Whitecaps spilled out of the dugout and mobbed Westlake in foul territory on the third base side.
As the celebration raged on, Bowling Green corralled the baseball at the backstop and found Suarez in the group of ecstatic Whitecaps. They placed a tag on his body and home plate umpire Ben Guttenberger immediately called the runner out, indicating that he never touched home plate on his way around the bases.
Despite video replay seeming to indicate that Suarez touched the front portion of the plate, the run was taken off the board and the game continued.
The marathon contest eventually reached the 15th inning before the Hot Rods pushed across an unearned run to earn the victory. Jake Hager reached base on a fielding error with one out and advanced to second on a passed ball. Taylor Motter belted a hit off the left field wall to score Hager for the 2-1 lead, giving Bowling Green their first run since the opening frame.
Justin Woodall (2-4) earned the victory thanks to five scoreless innings of two-hit relief from the 11th inning through the end of the game. After escaping a potential loss with the controversial call in the 12th, Woodall did not allow another runner to reach scoring position.
The loss went to Melvin Mercedes (0-3), who was charged with a lone unearned run on two hits over three innings of work.
The Whitecaps continue a brief homestand at Fifth Third Ballpark with the middle game of a three-game series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. RHP Jeff Ferrell (4-4, 4.18) is scheduled to take the hill for West Michigan against LHP Felipe Rivero (9-3, 2.45) of Bowling Green. Man's best friend will be welcome on Dog Day at the ballpark, featuring an appearance by Woofster and the usual Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Family Day festivities. Group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.