EASTLAKE, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a terrific start from pitcher Brendan White, but the bullpen was unable to hold a late lead in a 4-2 loss to the Lake County Captains on Wednesday night at Classic Park.
The loss marks the second straight night in which West Michigan dropped a contest despite leading after the seventh inning, having posted a record of 17-0 in that category heading into the series in Eastlake.
As for White, the righty reliever-turned-starter tossed six brilliant innings, allowing just three hits in six innings of no-walk baseball while striking out four. In his last three starts, White has tossed 12 scoreless innings while striking out 16 but had to settle for a no-decision in the ballgame.
The Whitecaps controlled most of the contest by taking a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth, as Eric De La Rosa slammed an opposite field home run to highlight the Whitecaps early game scoring. In the eighth, the Whitecaps brought in reliever Xavier Javier, who allowed all three batters he faced to reach base before Jose Tena ripped a game-tying RBI-double against Jared Tobey before a go-ahead two-run single by Joe Naranjo gave Lake County their 4-2 lead.
Captains reliever Nathan Ocker (2-0) tossed a scoreless two innings to earn his second win of the season, while Javier (0-1) took the loss. Lake County reliever Kevin Kelly pitched a scoreless ninth to secure his fourth save. The Captains improve to 20-18 as the Whitecaps fall to 19-18. Eliezer Alfonzo and Wenceel Perez both recorded two hits in a losing cause.
UP NEXT
This six-game series between the Whitecaps and Lake County Captains continues Thursday night at 7:00. West Michigan sends pitcher Adam Wolf, who returns to the mound after pitching the entire 2019 season with the ‘Caps against Captains lefty Logan Allen. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:45 pm. Get your tickets for all 2021 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
