LANSING, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps got a tiebreaking two-run homer by Colt Keith in the final moments as part of a 5-4 win in ten innings over the Lansing Lugnuts on Sunday afternoon at Jackson Field.
Keith, the Detroit Tigers No. 12 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, connected for his first Whitecaps homer to snap a 3-3 tie to lead off the 10th inning. The Whitecaps deny the Lugnuts their 200th win as a franchise and hold a 9-9 tie through the 18 games the two teams have played this season. The teams leave the series continue to be deadlocked with an all-time record of 199-199.
The Whitecaps were held hitless for the first three innings – two of which were tossed by former Michigan hurler Jeff Criswell, making his first start since coming off the injured list. In the fourth, Daniel Cabrera singled with two outs and scored on an RBI-double by Jake Holton. Meanwhile, Adam Wolf cruised through 5.2 scoreless innings while striking out seven batters. In the seventh, Rey Rivera blasted his 14th home run of the season with a 447-foot blast down the right-field line to extend the Whitecaps lead to 2-0. Later in the frame, Jose King scored on a wild pitch by Lugnuts reliever Charlie Cerny to stake the ‘Caps to a 3-0 lead. In the eighth, the Lugnuts collected a pair of RBI-singles from Will Simoneit and Jonny Butler to bring the Whitecaps lead to 3-2 before Shane Selman tied the game with a double in the ninth to set up Keith’s first West Michigan blast.
Wolf continued his masterful run, tossing 5.2 scoreless frames while allowing five hits and striking out seven but was forced to settle for a no-decision. The lefty has thrown 15.2 innings over his last three starts and has given up only one run. Zack Hess (2-5) collected his second win in relief, while Brock Whittlesey (4-2) took his second loss. Jared Tobey finished the ballgame to earn his third save. The Whitecaps improve to 48-54 while the Lugnuts fall to 48-54. Austin Murr reached base four times, while Keith collected seven total bases, and King collected three hits in the victory for West Michigan.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps return home for the final time this season to embark on a 12-game homestand, beginning with a six-game series against the Peoria Chiefs from LMCU Ballpark on Tuesday at 7:05 pm. Righty Austin Bergner gets the start for West Michigan against the Chiefs. 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.
