Whitecaps Help Loons Walk to Win

COMSTOCK PARK, MI - West Michigan Whitecaps pitching struggled on the mound, giving up 11 walks and coming up on the short end of a 10-1 loss to the Great Lakes Loons on a windswept, chilly overcast Saturday at Fifth Third Ballpark.
Tweet from @wmwhitecaps: This was one of those games you just forget about and move on to the next one.These two teams will battle one more time, tomorrow at 2:00pm.Final score brought to you by @MittenBrewingCo pic.twitter.com/kw8wZQfYza
The walks total for the Whitecaps represents the most allowed in a regular season game since a twelve-walk performance in a home game vs. Quad Cities on May 5, 2013.
Whitecaps righty Gio Arriera gave up four base hits in a two-inning start and was hampered by two 'Caps fielding errors as part of a five-run Great Lakes outburst. The Loons used six walks and three base hits to tally two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to take a commanding 10-0 lead. Meanwhile, the West Michigan offense labored against the Loons starter Jeronimo Castro, producing only a Nick Ames double in the fourth inning. Castro tallied four strikeouts and just two walks in five innings. Six relievers followed Arriera for West Michigan, culminating in first baseman Jordan Pearce pitching a scoreless ninth inning and recording a strikeout which thrilled the Fifth Third Ballpark crowd. The Whitecaps managed to scratch out a run in the seventh inning as an Ulrich Bojarski sacrifice fly scored Ames to make the score 10-1. The score would stand as West Michigan fell for the second straight game in the three-game series.
Arriera (0-1) absorbed the loss, surrendering five hits and five runs, with four of them unearned. Whitecaps pitchers managed to record ten strikeouts in the loss. Castro (1-0) picked up the victory as Great Lakes earned their fifth win in the last seven games. Ames proved to be a bright spot for West Michigan on a rough day, reaching base three times and extending his hitting streak to seven games. Great Lakes outhit West Michigan ten to five. The Whitecaps and Loons both sport five wins and five losses on the season.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps three-game series with the Great Lakes Loons concludes with a Sunday matinee from Fifth Third Ballpark at 2:00 pm. Pitcher Garrett Hill makes the start for West Michigan against Loons pitcher Stephen Kolek. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Mike Coleman starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 1:50 pm. Tickets are available for any Whitecaps 2019 home contest by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or by visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
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