Whitecaps fan 15, stay alive to force Game 3

COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps came up big when they needed to on Thursday night, using a 15-strikeout performance to stave off elimination with a 2-1 victory in Game 2 of their opening-round playoff series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Fifth Third Ballpark.

West Michigan (1-1, 82-58) and Fort Wayne (1-1, 63-76) will meet for the final time on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. as the Whitecaps host a decisive Game 3. The winner will play the Lake County Captains, who finished off a two-game sweep over South Bend with a 7-2 victory on Thursday to advance to the Midwest League's Eastern Division championship series.

Much like the series-opener on Wednesday, Thursday night's game was tied heading into the final third of the game. But after the TinCaps' bullpen tossed 4.2 scoreless innings to win Game 1, it was the Whitecaps' relief corps that dealt four shutout frames to fuel the Game 2 victory.

The game was tied at 1-1 when the bullpens took over in the sixth inning.

Zac Reininger (1-0) worked 2.1 frames out of the Whitecaps' pen, allowing two singles and striking out four without issuing a walk.

He earned the victory after the 'Caps rallied for a lead in the bottom of the seventh. Consecutive singles by Dominic Ficociello and Domingo Leyba put runners at the corners with one out. Bennett Pickar followed by driving an 0-2 pitch into center field, plating Ficociello on a sacrifice fly for the 2-1 advantage.

After Reininger gave up a leadoff single in the eighth, Montreal Robertson took over with the runner at second and one out.

Robertson (1) retired the next two batters to strand the game-tying run in scoring position. In the ninth, the hard-throwing native of Arkansas shrugged off a leadoff single with a strikeout and a game-ending double play for the five-out save.

Colby Blueberg (0-1) took the loss, allowing the decisive run on three hits over two innings of work.

Neither starting pitcher figured into the decision despite solid performances through the first five innings.

West Michigan's Kevin Ziomek struck out nine without issuing a walk over five innings of work, allowing just four hits - including a solo home run by Nick Schulz that gave Fort Wayne a 1-0 lead in the third.

Cody Hebner was equally effective for the TinCaps, striking out eight with one walk and allowing just one run on one hit in five innings. The lone hit was an RBI-double by Raph Rhymes that tied the score in the fourth.

The Whitecaps stay alive to play a decisive third game in their first-round playoff series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Fifth Third Ballpark on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. RHP Jonathon Crawford (8-3, 2.85) is scheduled to pitch for West Michigan against RHP Kyle Lloyd (6-5, 3.61) of Fort Wayne. All playoff games at Fifth Third Ballpark will feature the Altogas Thrifty Thursday specials of $2 beers, Pepsi products and hot dogs. Group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

Click here to view the box score.