Whitecaps Open ’24 at LMCU Ballpark with 10-6 Win
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps rode a hot start from pitcher Colin Fields and got some timely offense late to defeat the Quad Cities River Bandits 10-6 in the 2024 home opener in front of 4,002 fans on Tuesday evening at LMCU Ballpark. Fields struck out the
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps rode a hot start from pitcher Colin Fields and got some timely offense late to defeat the Quad Cities River Bandits 10-6 in the 2024 home opener in front of 4,002 fans on Tuesday evening at LMCU Ballpark.
Fields struck out the first six batters he faced, tallying eight total punchouts while allowing just one run through four innings, while the offense drew eight walks as every batter reached base in the victory.
The 'Caps struck in the first inning as Max Anderson added an RBI double before Izaac Pacheco and Roberto Campos added individual RBIs - jumping in front 3-0. Meanwhile, Fields struck out the first six Quad Cities batters he faced before Jared Dickey hit a solo home run in the third, cutting the lead to 3-1. Whitecaps outfielder Cole Turney added an RBI single in the fourth before the River Bandits added individual tallies in the fifth, sixth, and seventh frames - highlighted by a two-run home run by Carson Roccaforte - storming in front 5-4. The lead was short-lived, however, as West Michigan responded at the bottom of the seventh, adding four runs before collecting a base hit and retaking the 8-5 lead. River Bandits designated hitter Kale Emshoff lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, but it was too late, as the 'Caps plated a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning - featuring an RBI double from Andrew Jenkins - before closer Marco Jimenez slammed the door with a scoreless ninth inning to secure the win.
Whitecaps reliever Connor Holden (1-0) gave up three runs through two innings of work with a pair of strikeouts in his first victory of the season. Quad Cities reliever Cooper McKeehan (0-1) generated just one out, allowing four runs while walking three 'Caps hitters in his first defeat. The Whitecaps improve to 2-2 while the River Bandits fall to 2-2. The Whitecaps and River Bandits finished in 3:11 - just four minutes shy of the longest home game of last season in which the Whitecaps and Lake County Captains finished in 3:15 back on May 23. Anderson and Turney each reached base four times in the victory.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue their first six-game series of the 2024 season against the Quad Cities River Bandits from LMCU Ballpark Wednesday at 6:35 pm. Pitchers for Wednesday’s contest are Carlos Marcano for West Michigan against Quad Cites’ Hunter Owen. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm. Get your tickets for all 2024 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.