‘Caps Lose Big Lead in 9-8 Loss
MIDLAND, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps bullpen lost a lead for the fourth time in five days as part of a 9-8 loss to the Great Lakes Loons Saturday afternoon at Dow Diamond. The Whitecaps started strong, enjoying a 5-0 advantage after two innings and a 6-4 advantage entering
MIDLAND, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps bullpen lost a lead for the fourth time in five days as part of a 9-8 loss to the Great Lakes Loons Saturday afternoon at Dow Diamond.
The Whitecaps started strong, enjoying a 5-0 advantage after two innings and a 6-4 advantage entering the sixth. However, the Loons, known for their late-game rallies, scored five times to rally against the ‘Caps bullpen once again, turning the game around.
The contest began as a slugfest, with the ‘Caps taking advantage of a pair of Loons wild pitches to take a 3-0 lead after two innings. In the third, the ‘Caps used a two-run single by Izaac Pacheco to expand their advantage to 5-0, but the Loons responded with a pair of runs in the next two innings highlighted by a Yunior Garcia two-run homer to bring the West Michigan lead to 6-4. In the sixth, West Michigan reliever Tanner Kohlhepp walked three batters – including two with the bases loaded – hit a batter and gave up a pair of hits as the Loons rallied to take a 9-6 lead. Luke Gold collected his fourth hit of the day with a two-run home run down the right field line, but the Loons shut the door in the ninth to seal their victory. The comeback gives the Loons rallies in every close game of this six-game series in Midland and gives Great Lakes the chance to gain a series split with a win on Sunday.
Great Lakes reliever Frankie De La Paz (1-0) tossed two scoreless frames in earning his first win of the 2024 season, while Kohlhepp (2-2) gave up five runs in taking his first second of the season. Livan Reinoso finished the contest by the final ‘Caps hitter to earn the first save of the season. West Michigan drops to 6-8 while the Loons jump to 8-6. Jenkins and Gold each reached base four times in a losing cause for the Whitecaps.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps conclude this six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons from Dow Diamond on Sunday at 1:05 pm. Pitcher Carlos Marcano gets the call for West Michigan against the Loons Christian Romero. Tune into radio broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 12:50 pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’ and 1340 WJRW-AM. Get your tickets for all 2024 home games now, or listen to games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.