‘Caps Slay Dragons in Extras, 13-11
DAYTON, OH — The resilient West Michigan Whitecaps rallied from multiple deficits with clutch hits in key moments throughout a 13-11, 10-inning victory over the Dayton Dragons in front of 7,975 fans at Day Air Ballpark. The Whitecaps, who hadn’t hit a three-run homer all season, deposited a pair of
DAYTON, OH — The resilient West Michigan Whitecaps rallied from multiple deficits with clutch hits in key moments throughout a 13-11, 10-inning victory over the Dayton Dragons in front of 7,975 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
The Whitecaps, who hadn’t hit a three-run homer all season, deposited a pair of three-run shots on Wednesday while posting season-highs in runs and hits, including a five-hit performance from Anderson – the first from a ‘Caps player since 2019.
Dayton took the early lead by taking advantage of a double steal attempt in the first inning when Sal Stewart crossed the plate from third base as Cam Collier was being picked off from first to take a 1-0 lead. The score remained the same until the third when Dragons outfielder Jay Allen launched a two-run homer listed at 423 feet to left field, extending the Dayton lead to 3-0. In the fourth, Max Anderson lifted a fly ball short of the right field wall that glanced off the glove of a leaping Allen but deflected over the yellow line and was ruled a home run, his second of the season to put the ‘Caps on the board. In the fifth, ‘Caps outfielder Seth Stephenson blasted the ninth pitch of his at-bat for a two-out, three-run, go-ahead home run to put West Michigan ahead, 4-3. The blast from Stephenson was his first as a ‘Caps player.
In the sixth, the Dragons battled back with a game-tying RBI-single from Victor Acosta to even the score at four, but in the seventh, the ‘Caps struck big. Austin Murr turned on a 2-0 pitch to launch his second home run of the season, the ‘Caps second three-run shot of the night to break the tie and take a 7-4 lead. Luke Gold delivered an RBI-double later in the frame to extend the advantage. In the bottom of the frame, Hector Rodriguez blasted his second homer in as many games with a two-run shot to cut the ‘Caps lead to 8-6. In the eighth, Dayton staged a two-out rally against ‘Caps reliever Tanner Kohlhepp that culminated in a go-ahead, three-run homer by Jay Allen to take a 9-8 lead, but the Whitecaps tied it on Cole Turney’s run-scoring double in the ninth to even the score at nine and send the game to extra innings. In the tenth, a bases-loaded walk to Austin Murr and a two-run single by Anderson highlighted a four-run frame to give West Michigan a 13-9 lead in what resulted in the highest-scoring Whitecaps game since
The Whitecaps improve to 10-13, while the Dragons fall to 9-14. Kohlhepp (3-3) collects his third win, while Dragons pitcher Brock Bell (2-2) suffers his second loss. Stephenson enjoyed a 4-for-6 performance with three runs scored, while Anderson became the first Whitecap to post a five-hit game since catcher Chris Proctor went 5-for-5 in a 15-1 win over Dayton on June 26, 2019. West Michigan enjoyed a pair of three run homers on Wednesday – the first three-run shots of the 2024 season.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps move this six-game series at Day Air Ballpark against the Dayton Dragons to Thursday at 7:05 pm. Whitecaps pitcher Colin Fields gets the start for West Michigan against Dayton hurler Kevin Abel. Don’t miss the action; tune into broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 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.