‘Caps Fall in Home Opener, 7-3
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps offense went cold as they dropped their home opener to the Great Lakes Loons, 7–3, in front of 4,352 fans on a chilly Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark. The Whitecaps managed just three hits while finishing 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position—coming
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps offense went cold as they dropped their home opener to the Great Lakes Loons, 7–3, in front of 4,352 fans on a chilly Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark.
The Whitecaps managed just three hits while finishing 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position—coming just one out shy of bringing the game-tying run to the plate in the ninth but ultimately failing to come through in the loss.
The Loons grabbed the lead in the first inning on an RBI single from outfielder Chuck Davalan before the Whitecaps left the bases loaded in the bottom half. Great Lakes then added four runs in the third inning, as first baseman Jose Meza delivered a sacrifice fly before catcher Victor Rodrigues blasted a two-run homer over the left-field wall, stretching the lead to 5–0. Rodrigues came through again with an RBI single in the fifth before the ‘Caps finally broke through in the bottom half, when a wild pitch allowed Stephen Hrustich to cross the plate, trimming the lead to 6–1. Loons relievers then retired nine of the next ten Whitecaps hitters, while Great Lakes shortstop Eduardo Guerrero plated Cameron Decker on an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 7–1. West Michigan scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, as Roberto Campos came home on a wild pitch before Samuel Gil added an RBI single, but it was too little, too late, as ‘Caps infielder Cristian Santana flew out to end the game.
The Whitecaps fall to 2–2, while the Loons improve to 3–1. Whitecaps starting pitcher Gabriel Reyes (0–1) suffered his first loss, allowing five runs (one earned) over 2.2 innings pitched, while Loons reliever Myles Caba (1–0) earned his first win, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings with a strikeout in the victory. The last time the Whitecaps lost a home opener was May 11, 2021, in a 9–1 loss to the Loons.
UP NEXT
The ‘Caps continue this season-opening homestand against the Great Lakes Loons with a Wednesday matinee, scheduled for 12:05pm. The starting pitchers for Wednesday’s game are Carlos Marcano for the Whitecaps against the Loons Jakob Wright. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 11:50 am on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’, and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, or listen to all the action on whitecapsbaseball.com.