‘Caps One-Hit in 3-0 Shutout
FORT WAYNE, IN – One night after setting the franchise home run record, the West Michigan Whitecaps watched their offense go quiet in a 3-0 loss to the Fort Wayne TinCaps in front of 5,850 fans at Parkview Field on Thursday night. Whitecaps starting pitcher Lucas Elissalt retired the first
FORT WAYNE, IN – One night after setting the franchise home run record, the West Michigan Whitecaps watched their offense go quiet in a 3-0 loss to the Fort Wayne TinCaps in front of 5,850 fans at Parkview Field on Thursday night.
Whitecaps starting pitcher Lucas Elissalt retired the first 13 Fort Wayne batters he faced, but a two-run homer from Lamar King Jr. in the fifth gave the TinCaps the lead and made the difference in the contest. On Wednesday, the Whitecaps clubbed a franchise-record seven home runs as part of an 11-1 win over Fort Wayne, but they were held to just one base hit on Thursday.
While the Whitecaps kept Fort Wayne’s offense in check, TinCaps starting pitcher Carson Montgomery (3-6) excelled, tossing six scoreless, one-hit frames while striking out three in earning his third win of the season. A second-inning double by Beau Ankeney that hit off the yellow line of the left field wall, narrowly missing a home run, was as close as West Michigan came to scoring a run on Thursday night. Once Montgomery exited, the TinCaps bullpen did not allow a baserunner over the final three innings, as Fort Wayne won its first game of the series.
The Whitecaps fall to 21-18 in the second half and 45-58 overall, while the TinCaps jump to 19-18 in the second half and 46-57 overall. Elissalt (3-5) lasted five innings and allowed just two baserunners, each of whom came around to score, in his fifth loss of the season. Carlos Medina retired all nine batters he faced to finish the contest, striking out six to earn his first save as a member of the TinCaps. The ballgame lasted just one hour and fifty minutes, marking the fastest game of the season for West Michigan.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series at Parkview Field against the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm. Lefty Jojo Ingrassia makes his first appearance in the Detroit Tigers system after being acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, while righty Maikel Mirrales gets the start for Fort Wayne. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm on ‘The Ticket West Michigan’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, and online at WhitecapsBaseball.com.