Whitecaps win first Eastern Division title since '07
LANSING, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps posted their best offensive performance when it mattered most as they advanced to the 2015 Midwest League Championship Series with a 14-5 win over the Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium Monday night.
In the early innings, the Whitecaps were faced with three different Lansing leads, but erased each of them thanks to clutch hitting each time. Will Kengor ignited the West Michigan offense in the third inning with his first home run in over two months, his first of the postseason to tie the game at one. In the fourth, a pop-up to right field by Joey Pankake was lost in the evening sky by Lansing right-fielder Chris Carlson and fell in for a run-scoring single. With the 'Caps trailing 4-3 entering the fifth, Kade Scivicque and Christin Stewart both lined RBI-singles to center field which tied the game, then put the Whitecaps ahead for good. From that point on, West Michigan's offense exploded for nine runs in the remaining four innings, highlighted by back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Francisco Contreras and David Gonzalez. Christin Stewart blasted a long RBI-double of his own as the Whitecaps posted 14 runs on 22 hits in the contest; both season-best performances by West Michigan during the 2015 season.
Whitecaps reliever Gerson Moreno earned his first postseason win by tossing 3.2 innings allowing just one run and striking out two, while Lugnuts All-Star Shane Dawson suffered the loss by giving up six runs on 11 hits in five innings. Stewart and A.J. Simcox each had four hits to pace the Whitecaps banner evening, while Kengor, Contreras and Mike Gerber each recorded three hits apiece.
UP NEXT
West Michigan advances to the 2015 Midwest League Championship Series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels beginning Wednesday from Fifth Third Ballpark at 6:35pm. Radio coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network begins at 6:25pm. Reserve tickets for the Midwest League playoffs by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.