EASTLAKE, OH – West Michigan Whitecaps infielder Wenceel Perez dropped a pop-up with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that allowed two runs to score as part of a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Lake County Captains on Wednesday night at Classic Park.
Perez finished the night committing a season-high three errors, which led to all of Lake County’s runs on Tuesday night.
The ballgame was a pitcher’s duel throughout, as the Whitecaps used 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball with six strikeouts from Keider Montero to stake themselves to a 2-0 lead. A Captains error and RBI-single by Eric De La Rosa allowed West Michigan to score their only two runs of the contest. In the sixth, Perez’s throwing error gave the Captains their first run. An inning later, West Michigan put runners on the corners with none out before Jose King struck out, and Perez got picked off first base to end the threat.
In the eighth, reliever Jared Tobey allowed the first two batters against him to reach base with singles before striking out the side. In the ninth, closer Zack Hess fought through control problems and induced what looked to be the game-winning pop-up off the bat of George Valera. Instead, Perez dropped the baseball, and the Whitecaps suffered a shocking loss.
Lake County righty Alec Wisely (1-0) tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his first victory, while Hess (0-2) took the tough-luck loss. The Captains improve to 19-18 as the Whitecaps fall to 19-17. Outfielder Bryant Packard was the only player for either team to collect a multi-hit game with a single and double in a losing cause.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series against the Lake County Captains Wednesday night at 7:00. West Michigan sends pitcher Brendan White to the mound against Captains pitcher Xzavion Curry. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty gets underway on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:45 pm. Get your tickets for all 2021 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
