Captains Split Season-Opening Doubleheader Against Whitecaps

Game 1

EASTLAKE, OH – The Lake County Captains (0-1) fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps (1-0) by a score of 2-0 to begin their 21^st season.

Whitecaps 3B Luke Gold plated the game’s only two runs in the 2024 season opener.

In the top of the first inning, Gold hit into a 6-4-3 double play to score CF Seth Stephenson, who reached on an error in center field.

The Captains were held to just two hits and were hitless in the game’s final four innings. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, 1B C.J. Kayfus led off with a hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch, But West Michigan RHP Colin Fields retired the next three batters to leave him stranded.

In the ensuing half-inning, Gold homered to left field off of RHP Alaska Abney for the game’s final run.

Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Whitecaps RHP Trevin Michael struck out DH Jorge Burgos and got Kayfus to ground into a game-ending double play.

Lake County LHP Parker Messick (0-1) pitched five innings, allowing one unearned run, while striking out five. Messick’s first start of the season marked the fourth straight year in which he has started an Opening Day game, dating back to February 20, 2021 while at Florida State.

West Michigan RHP Garrett Burhenn allowed just two hits, striking out six batters in 3.1 innings as the Whitecaps’ Opening Day starter. RHP Tanner Kohlhepp, one of four Whitecaps relievers, pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the victory.

Game 2

The Lake County Captains (1-1) earned their first win of the 2024 season in the second game of their season-opening doubleheader with a 3-1 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps (1-1).

West Michigan struck first for the second straight game when 3B Izaac Pacheco hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first inning to give the Whitecaps 1-0 advantage.

But after allowing three of the first five Whitecaps batters to reach, RHP Austin Peterson (1-0) retired 13 of the last 14 hitters he faced, with nine of them being strikeouts. Peterson’s nine strikeouts were the most strikeouts by a Lake County pitcher in their debut with the team since LHP Will Dion also struck out nine on September 2, 2022 at Great Lakes.

Peterson ultimately pitched five innings in his High-A debut, allowing just three hits, one earned run, and one walk in 69 pitches (49 strikes).

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, RF Jorge Burgos hit a three-run double to give Lake County a 3-1 lead. Burgos continued his opening day heroics, as he hit a grand slam on the first High-A pitch he saw in the Captains’ 8-3 win over Dayton on April 6, 2023. The double marked Burgos’ team-high second hit of the game, and his 17^th multi-hit game in two seasons as a Captain.

RHP Josh Wolf pitched a scoreless sixth inning, fanning two and walking one to set up RHP Magnus Ellerts for the save in the seventh. Ellerts ultimately earned his first save of the season, walking one and striking out two, for his fourth save as a Captain in 17 appearances.

First pitch for the finale of this weekend’s scheduled three-game series between the Captains and Whitecaps is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. It will be Family Fun Sunday at the ballpark, where Lake County will continue its “Total Eclipse of the Park” celebration. The game will be broadcasted on both the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on both X and Instagram.

The Lake County Captains are the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, and have been a Class A Affiliate of Cleveland since the team was founded in 2003. To find out more information about the Captains or purchase tickets, visit CaptainsBaseball.com, or call (440) 975-8085.

Contact: Logan Potosky, Play-by-Play Broadcaster
[email protected]