Whitecaps Play Past Midnight in 8-7 Loss
FORT WAYNE, IN - A bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning allowed the Fort Wayne TinCaps to rally from a four-run deficit to post an 8-7 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps at Parkview Field Friday night.
The TinCaps struck first in the opening inning on an RBI-single by Austin Allen. As soon the play ended, play was halted and the tarp brought onto the field resulting in rain delay of nearly two hours. Once play resumed, an RBI-double by Marcus Greene extended Fort Wayne's lead to 2-0. After both teams added a run in the second, the Whitecaps scored the next six runs of the contest. Brett Pirtle tied the ballgame at three in the third with an RBI-double as part of a two-run third inning. In the fourth, Cam Gibson launched a tape-measure home run down the right field line to give West Michigan a 5-3 lead. After the 'Caps added two more to advance their lead to 7-3, but the TinCaps rallied with four runs to tie the game highlighted by Nick Vilter's three-run homer in the sixth to knot the contest at seven. In the eighth, an exhausted Whitecaps bullpen struggled as Adenson Verastegui loaded the bases with a pair of walks before Zac Houston issued a bases-loaded walk to Austin Allen to give the TinCaps the go-ahead run, and an 8-7 lead.
Elvin Liriano (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings to finish the ballgame and earn his first win, while Verastegui (0-4) took his fourth loss after allowing the tying and go-ahead TinCaps runs. The TinCaps improve to 13-21 in the second half, and 49-55 on the season. West Michigan falls to 14-17 in the back half of 2016, and 53-45 overall. David Gonzalez had three hits to lead the 'Caps offense in a losing cause. Combined with the rain delay, Friday's game lasted 5:20. Last Friday, the Whitecaps played their longest game in team history of 6:02 as part of a 9-9 tie against Peoria at Fifth Third Ballpark. This Friday's contest didn't end until nearly 12:30a.m. local time.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps return home for an eight-game homestand beginning with a four-game series to play the Lake County Captains Saturday night at 7:00p.m. at Fifth Third Ballpark. Pitcher Kyle Dowdy gets the start for West Michigan against a Captains pitcher to be determined. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50p.m. Tickets can be reserved for Saturday's game, or any 2016 home contest by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or by visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.