GENEVA, IL - A bases-clearing double by Brock Deatherage in the eleventh inning helped the West Michigan Whitecaps defeat the Kane County Cougars in front of 7,775 fans Wednesday night at Northwestern Medicine Field by a score of 8-5.Tweet from @ThatDanHasty: A memorable night for many @wmwhitecaps, as they persevered
GENEVA, IL - A bases-clearing double by Brock Deatherage in the eleventh inning helped the West Michigan Whitecaps defeat the Kane County Cougars in front of 7,775 fans Wednesday night at Northwestern Medicine Field by a score of 8-5.
Dylan Rosa gave West Michigan a 3-0 lead with his team-high ninth home run of the season in the second inning. The tape-measure blast registered at 420 feet. The Cougars responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame highlighted by a run-scoring single from Jose Herrera, and a balk by 'Caps starter Elvin Rodriguez to allow both runs to eventually score in the frame. The balk was the fourth of the year by Rodriguez, tying Lansing pitcher Kyle Weatherly for the Midwest League lead.
In the seventh, Kane County tied the game when Ryan Grotjohn lifted a lazy fly ball down the left field line that was lost in the evening sky by Rosa - falling behind him for a base hit. Rosa then picked up the baseball and fired a wild throw to third base allowing Grotjohn to score and tie the game at three. After trading runs in the tenth, Rosa redeemed himself with a double to set the table for Deatherage's three-run double to break the 4-4 tie. Jordan Pearce capped a three-hit night with an RBI-single to provide an insurance run and send the 'Caps to their first victory since July 12 at Fifth Third Ballpark.
Elvin Rodriguez tossed 5.2 innings of two-run baseball in receiving a no-decision, while 'Caps reliever Clate Schmidt (7-2) tossed 4.1 frames on the mound while giving up one earned run to pick up his seventh victory of the year. Cougars pitcher Kyler Stout (0-2) gave up five runs in extra innings to suffer his second loss of the year. The victory snaps West Michigan's four-game losing streak and evens the 'Caps overall record to an even .500 at 48-48 on the season. The Cougars fall to 11-15 in the second half while falling to 46-49 overall. While Pearce led the offense with three hits, Rosa, Deatherage and Brady Policelli each chipped in with two hits apiece. Policelli also robbed Ernie De La Trinidad of an extra-base hit in the third when he made a terrific catch on a ball hit towards the right-field wall, then proceeded to barehand it when it popped out of his glove upon running into the fence. He also threw out Luis Silverio at third base to begin the tenth to prevent the potential winning run from scoring later in the frame.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this three-game series against the Kane County Captains Thursday at 7:30 pm. Jesus Rodriguez gets the start for the Whitecaps against Cougars southpaw Mack Lemieux. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 7:20 pm. Tickets are available for any Whitecaps 2018 home contest by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or by visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
Box Score
