Home Runs Doom ‘Caps, 8-6
EASTLAKE, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps were befallen by two big swings, as a pair of home runs accounted for seven runs in an 8-6 loss to the Lake County Captains in front of 7,146 fans at Classic Park on Saturday night. The game was a rollercoaster of emotions
EASTLAKE, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps were befallen by two big swings, as a pair of home runs accounted for seven runs in an 8-6 loss to the Lake County Captains in front of 7,146 fans at Classic Park on Saturday night.
The game was a rollercoaster of emotions for the Whitecaps, who held leads of multiple runs on two separate occasions. However, it was a go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth inning by Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, playing for the Captains as part of a Major League Rehab Assignment, and a go-ahead grand slam by Cooper Ingle in the seventh that turned the tide in favor of the Captains. These two moments, filled with high drama, made all the difference in the contest, pushing West Michigan back to a .500 record of 22-22 on the season.
The Whitecaps scored their first run in an unusual fashion. Roberto Campos began the inning with a single before Luis Santana came to the plate and was called out by home plate umpire Travis Roberson for batting out of order. Campos was summoned back to home plate to bat once again and then hit a solo home run, his third of the season, to give West Michigan a 1-0 lead. The ‘Caps plated two more in the third on an RBI-double by Seth Stephenson and a run-scoring single from Max Anderson to extend the lead to 3-0. In the fifth, Lake County reclaimed the lead when Kwan launched a go-ahead three-run homer to give Lake County a 4-3 lead. The Whitecaps immediately responded in the following frame when Campos lasered a two-run triple to the left-field corner, and Luke Gold sent him home with a run-scoring single to return West Michigan the lead, 6-4. In the seventh, Ingle blasted the grand slam off Pinales, putting the Captains in front for good with an 8-6 lead.
The Captains guarantee a split of this six-game series with the win, increasing their record to 25-19. Lake County reliever Alaska Abney (2-0) earns his second win of the season for tossing two scoreless innings and striking out three, while ‘Caps reliever Erick Pinales (1-1) allowed the grand slam to Ingle in suffering his first loss of the year. Captains pitcher Zane Morehouse tossed a scoreless ninth to collect his third save of the season. Campos led the Whitecaps offense with a 2-for-4 performance with a triple, home run, and three RBI and has notched ten hits in the five games of this series, including six extra-base hits and ten RBI.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps conclude this six-game series against the Lake County Captains on Sunday at 1:05 pm. Pitchers Joe Miller and Carter Spivey get the starts for West Michigan and Lake County. To catch all the action, tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 12:50 pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Don’t miss out on the excitement; get your tickets for all 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.