Whitecaps Win Seesaw Affair Saturday

Site: LMCU Ballpark (Comstock Park, MI)

Score: West Michigan Whitecaps 7, Peoria Chiefs 6

Records: West Michigan (52-55), Peoria (40-67)

Next game: Sunday, September 5 at West Michigan (Comstock Park, MI)- 5:00 P.M.

Comstock Park, MI-- In a game that featured four ties, the West Michigan Whitecaps knocked off the Peoria Chiefs 7-6 Saturday night. With the win, West Michigan clinched the season series over Peoria.

Three batters into the contest, the Chiefs gave starter Michael YaSenka an early lead. After Masyn Winn led off the game with a walk, Pedro Pages launched a no-doubter to left center field to make it 2-0 Chiefs. The hit was Pages’ first of four on the night as he finished a triple shy of the cycle.

YaSenka, the young right-hander, battled his command tonight. He was pulled after 3.2 innings, in which he gave up five earned runs. YaSenka ran into turbulence early, as he hit Jake Holton with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Parker Meadows made him pay with a two-run moonshot to right field to tie the game at 2-2. The Whitecaps took a 3-2 advantage an inning later on a fielder’s choice.

Todd Lott tied the game at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly, as Jhon Torres scampered home from third. West Michigan added a run of their own in the bottom of the third to re-capture a 4-3 advantage. Wenceel Perez led off the inning with a bunt single and proceeded to steal second and third base respectively. He advanced home on a throwing error from Pages to give his squad the lead.

The Whitecaps used the fourth inning to extend their lead. Jake Holton smacked a two-run homer over the center field fence to stretch the lead to 6-3. But Peoria was not done yet. Torres led off the fifth inning with a single. Pages followed with a ringing double to left-center field that scored Torres all the way from first base. Pages later scored on the ensuing at-bat, when Todd Lott doubled into the left-center field gap to bring the Chiefs one run closer. After Lott swiped third, a timely sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Chamberlain tied the game at 6-6.

Reliever Colin Schmid performed well in place of YaSenka. He held West Michigan to only one run in 2.1 innings of baseball. Despite that, the Whitecaps broke through in the sixth inning. With Schmid laboring, a walk and a bunt single put runners on first and second with no outs. A single up the middle by Holton put West Michigan out in front again 7-6. Schmid escaped a bases-loaded jam to limit the Whitecaps to only one run and keep the Chiefs in the ballgame. Fabian Blanco and Jack Ralston combined for the final two innings. The pair whiffed five batters to give the offense a chance late.

The Chiefs did not mount a threat in the final three innings of the contest, as they were only able to collect one baserunner. Schmid, who allowed just the one run, was tagged with the tough luck loss. Angel Reyes, who twirled 3.2 shutout innings for West Michigan, earned the win. Bryce Tassin collected the save.

The Chiefs will wrap up the series tomorrow. Logan Gragg is the scheduled starter for the Chiefs. First pitch is slated for 5:00 CST.

Single-Game Ticket Information

September single game tickets are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Friday’s from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The box office will be closed for lunch daily between 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The Peoria Chiefs are locally owned and operated and play their games at Dozer Park. The Chiefs are a committed community asset and premier entertainment venue for families and individuals in Central Illinois.