Captains Surrender Four-Run Lead in 8-6 Defeat to Whitecaps

EASTLAKE, Ohio – In Game 4 of a six-game series, the Lake County Captains (34-26) fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps (22-39) by a final score of 8-6 on Friday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

The Captains led for the first seven innings of the game, but could not hold off the Whitecaps, who scored four runs to tie the game in the seventh and two runs to steal the game in the ninth.

Lake County struck first, plating two runs in the first frame with a two-run home run from C Bennett Thompson, his seventh blast of the year. The Captains added another two-run shot in the second inning, as RF Esteban González blasted his seventh home run of the season 413 feet to dead center off the batter’s eye to double Lake County’s lead.

West Michigan cut into the Captains’ lead in the third, scoring a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly from RF Andrew Sojka and a bases-loaded walk from 1B Garrett Pennington.

One inning later, Lake County blasted its third home run of the game on a solo smash from CF Aaron Walton, MLB Pipeline’s No. 16 Guardians prospect, which made it a 5-2 contest. The Captains tacked on their final run of the night in the fifth, as 2B Jeffrey Mercedes rolled an RBI single through the right side to restore Lake County’s four-run advantage.

From there, the Whitecaps’ charge was on, as the visitors stormed back to tie the game in the seventh inning. Their four-run frame was powered by an RBI groundout from Sojka, a two-run single from Pennington, and a bases-loaded walk from C Clayton Campbell.

Lake County continued to threaten, but left the go-ahead run at second in both the seventh and eighth innings before West Michigan took the lead in the ninth with a two-run home run from SS Bryce Rainer, MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 Tigers and No. 43 MLB prospect.

Whitecaps RHP CJ Weins (W, 4-0) earned the win for West Michigan with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out one.

LHP Izaak Martinez (L, 2-3; BS, 2) suffered the loss for Lake County, allowing two runs (one earned) on two walks and two hits, while striking out one in 2.1 innings out of the Captains’ bullpen.

RHP Thomas Bruss (S, 1) picked up the save for the visitors, allowing just one hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning of relief.

Game 5 of this week’s six-game series between the Captains and Whitecaps is scheduled for Saturday night, June 13, at 7 p.m. Lake County will celebrate America 250 Weekend at the ballpark, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Tyler Naquin Bobblehead presented by Onyx Creative. The game will be broadcast on the Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN), the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

NOTES TO KNOW

- C Bennett Thompson reached base four times with a two-run home run, a double, and two walks on Friday night. The 2024 13th-round pick out of Oregon leads MiLB with a .487 on-base percentage in 43 games played this season.

- OF Aaron Walton went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an infield single, a walk, and two stolen bases on Friday night. The 66th overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Arizona is one of just two MiLB players with at least 45 RBI, 30 extra-base hits, and 15 stolen bases this season (also Double-A Tulsa (LAD) OF Josue De Paula).

- 2B/OF Tommy Hawke extended his on-base streak to 29 games with a walk on Friday night. The 2023 sixth-round pick out of Wake Forest is batting .306 (33-for-108) with 30 runs, 35 walks, 17 stolen bases, and a .483 on-base percentage during this span.

- 1B/OF Nolan Schubart, MLB Pipeline’s No. 28 Guardians prospect, extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a single on Friday night. The 2025 3rd-round pick out of Oklahoma State is batting .329 (28-for-85) with four doubles, eight home runs, 28 RBI, 21 walks, and a 1.117 OPS during this span.

- RHP Braylon Doughty, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 Guardians prospect, threw five strikeouts to just one walk in five innings of work on Friday night. The 36th overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Chaparral HS (CA) has thrown 60 strikeouts to only 11 walks in 47.2 innings pitched this season.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.