‘Caps Hit Double Digits Again in 14-4 Win
FORT WAYNE, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps scored double-digit runs once again, and the pitching staff held their opponents in check in a 14-4 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps in front of 7,940 fans at Parkview Field on Friday night. The ‘Caps scored in six of their nine
FORT WAYNE, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps scored double-digit runs once again, and the pitching staff held their opponents in check in a 14-4 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps in front of 7,940 fans at Parkview Field on Friday night.
The ‘Caps scored in six of their nine innings at the plate, highlighted by a five-run sixth as West Michigan scored double-digit runs for the third time in the first four games of this series. The win guarantees them at least a split of this six-game series and gives them two chances over the weekend to clinch a series victory.
The Whitecaps, who were held to no runs and just one base hit on Thursday, surpassed those totals in their first two at-bats on Friday. After Edian Espinal singled to left field on an 0-2 pitch, Bryce Rainer lined an RBI double to the right field corner, scoring Espinal from first base to take a 1-0 lead. Ricardo Hurtado followed with a run-scoring single to extend the West Michigan lead to 2-0. Espinal added another single in the second to score Samuel Gil and give the Whitecaps a 3-0 lead. A Ryan Wideman RBI double in the third put the TinCaps on the board, cutting their deficit to 3-1. Rainer struck again with a run-scoring single in the fourth after Espinal provided a sacrifice fly to improve West Michigan’s lead to 5-1. Beau Ankeney put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in a five-run sixth to highlight the Whitecaps tying their season-best hit total with 16 on the night as the ‘Caps cruised to a 14-4 victory.
The Whitecaps climb to 22-18 in the second half and 46-58 overall, while the TinCaps even their record at 19-19 in the second half and 46-58 overall. Zack Lee (3-2) entered in relief of starter Jojo Ingrassia and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out a pair to earn his third win of the season. Ingrassia made his Detroit Tigers organizational debut and allowed one run in 2.1 innings while striking out three. Maikel Miralles (1-8) allowed five runs in four innings in taking his eighth loss of the season. Every member of the Whitecaps collected at least one hit, while Ankeney and Rainer led the way with three RBI apiece in the victory.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the penultimate game of this six-game series at Parkview Field against the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Saturday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 pm. Brady Smith makes his first appearance in the Detroit Tigers system after being acquired in the Tarik Skubal trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers, while righty Bryan Balzer gets the start for Fort Wayne. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm on ‘The Ticket West Michigan’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, and online at WhitecapsBaseball.com.