COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps threw their first no-hitter in more than two decades as part of a doubleheader sweep of the Fort Wayne TinCaps Thursday night by scores of 5-0 and 4-0 in front of 4,938 delighted fans at LMCU Ballpark.
Whitecaps pitchers Sandel De La Cruz, Michael Beinlien, Jared Tobey, and Bryce Tassin combined for seven hitless frames in a 4-0 shutout and the ‘Caps first no-hitter since Calvin Chipperfield accomplished the feat on June 13, 2000.
WATCH: WHITECAPS CLINCH NO-HITTER
Game 1 of the doubleheader saw a performance just as dominant, as West Michigan starter Beau Brieske (5-3) became the first Whitecap to throw a complete game shutout since Eudis Idrogo in 2018. The 23-year-old allowed only two hits while striking out a season-high nine hitters in the 5-0 Whitecaps victory.
In Game 1, West Michigan plated three runs in the first inning as Parker Meadows and Gage Workman drove in runs to put the ‘Caps out in front by a count of 3-0. In Game 2, Eric De La Rosa blasted a two-run double in the fourth inning before Wenceel Perez plated Parker Meadows to put the finishing touches at the plate before the pitching staff secured the victory. Fort Wayne did not advance a runner past first base the entire game as West Michigan added insurance tallies in the fifth and sixth to finish the 5-0 win.
Beinlien (1-0) collected his first victory as part of the no-hitter, going 1.1 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts, while Tobey and Tassin each pitched an inning to finish the historic feat.
TinCaps starter Gabe Mosser (3-5) allowed four runs through 4.2 innings of work in his fifth loss this season. Sam Keating (2-5) allowed four runs through two frames in game two, picking up his fifth loss in 2021. Tigers #7 prospect Parker Meadows extended his hit streak to nine games finishing 2-for-7 with an RBI and a pair of runs. The Whitecaps improve to 29-33 as the TinCaps fall to 28-35.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this seven-game series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps Friday from LMCU Ballpark at 7:05 pm. West Michigan starts pitcher Keider Montero against the TinCaps. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2021 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
