‘Caps Fall in Wild Walk-Off, 3-2
MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed some clutch moments late, but their efforts fell just short as a wild pitch scored the winning run as part of a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Great Lakes Loons on Thursday night at Dow Diamond. The Whitecaps, who snapped their 14-game
MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed some clutch moments late, but their efforts fell just short as a wild pitch scored the winning run as part of a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Great Lakes Loons on Thursday night at Dow Diamond.
The Whitecaps, who snapped their 14-game losing streak with a win on Tuesday, have dropped each of their last two games since the victory. They now sit 10 games under .500 at 13-23 on the season.
This game was a pitcher’s duel from the start, as starters Zach Root for the Loons and the ‘Caps Lucas Elissalt threw well in their Thursday night contest. The Loons scored their first run when Mike Sirota chopped a run-scoring infield single to plate Jose Izarra and give Great Lakes a 1-0 lead. The score remained the same until the ninth, when Bryce Rainer delivered the game-tying RBI Single to even the score at one. The contest went into extra innings, and pinch-hitter Andrew Sojka delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly to give West Michigan a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the frame, a mishandled play on a Loons bunt attempt led to a bases-loaded walk to tie the game and the wild pitch that ended the contest, giving Great Lakes a second straight walk-off win.
The Whitecaps drop to 13-23 while the Loons improve to 22-13. Nicolas Cruz (2-0) gets his second win of the season for tossing three frames out of the Great Lakes bullpen, while Ethan Sloan (2-2) takes the loss for West Michigan. Rainer was the only Whitecaps player to reach base twice with the game-tying RBI single to go with a walk in a losing cause. Out of the bullpen, both relievers Thomas Bruss and CJ Weins each went without allowing a run in their appearances.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series at Dow Diamond against the Great Lakes Loons on Friday night with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05pm. Pitchers Carlos Marcano and Jakob Wright are the scheduled starters for the ‘Caps and Loons. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 5:50pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’, and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, or listen to all the action on whitecapsbaseball.com.