Whitecaps Fall to Loons, 5-4
MIDLAND, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps carried a lead into the seventh inning but couldn’t hold it as part of a 5-4 loss to the Great Lakes Loons Friday night at Dow Diamond. The ‘Caps finished the seventh inning stretch with a 4-2 lead, but a three-run Great Lakes
MIDLAND, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps carried a lead into the seventh inning but couldn’t hold it as part of a 5-4 loss to the Great Lakes Loons Friday night at Dow Diamond.
The ‘Caps finished the seventh inning stretch with a 4-2 lead, but a three-run Great Lakes surge marked the third late-inning Loons comeback in the first four games of this series, helping the Loons climb back above .500.
The Whitecaps gave Great Lakes the lead in the first inning when Alex Freeland connected for a solo home run to begin the contest with a 1-0 Loons lead. In the second, infielder Peyton Graham, making his first career appearance as a center fielder, delivered the lead with a two-run double and a 2-1 ‘Caps edge. In the third, Kyle Nevin knotted the contest at two with a run-scoring two-out triple, but the next inning saw the ‘Caps regain the lead. Back-to-back doubles from Andrew Jenkins and Luke Gold highlighted a two-run fourth and a 4-2 ‘Caps advantage. In the seventh, the Loons rallied for three runs, highlighted by a run-scoring double from Freeland, to take a 5-4 lead. The rally marks the third time in the four games of this series that Great Lakes has erased a ‘Caps lead against the West Michigan bullpen, and the first time it led to a Loons win.
Great Lakes reliever Brandon Neeck (1-0) tossed 1.1 scoreless frames in earning his first win of the 2024 season, while ‘Caps pitcher Max Alba (0-1) gave up the three Loons runs in taking his first loss of the season. Kelvin Ramirez tossed a scoreless ninth to record his first save of the season. West Michigan drops to 6-7 while the Loons jump to 7-6. West Michigan outfielders Seth Stephenson and Cole Turney missed the contest with unspecified injuries and are considered day-to-day.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the penultimate game of this six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons from Dow Diamond on Saturday at 1:05 pm. Righties Colin Fields and Peter Huebeck get the starts for West Michigan and Great Lakes. 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.