COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps bounced back from a 3-1 loss in game one of a doubleheader by rolling to an 8-2 victory in game two over the Great Lakes Loons in front of 2,945 fans Sunday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark.
‘Caps starter Wilmer Flores dominated in
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps bounced back from a 3-1 loss in game one of a doubleheader by rolling to an 8-2 victory in game two over the Great Lakes Loons in front of 2,945 fans Sunday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark.
‘Caps starter Wilmer Flores dominated in game one striking out seven Loons hitters through 4.0 innings pitched, but the offense was unable to get rolling, finishing 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the loss.
West Michigan tied a season-high with eight extra-base hits in the second game, including a two-run home run from Ulrich Bojarski that landed on top of the Miller Lite deck in a victory that snapped a season-long seven-game losing streak.
In the first inning of game one, the Whitecaps struck first as Jake Holton roped an RBI-single to put West Michigan on top 1-0. Flores allowed his first home run in the fourth inning, as Aldrich De Jongh blasted a solo homer to tie the game at one. Meanwhile, Leonel Valera cracked an RBI-single in the seventh inning before a fielding error extended the Great Lakes lead to 3-1. Loons reliever Cole Percival kept the ‘Caps bats quiet with two strikeouts through three innings of shutout baseball before Jose Hernandez slammed the door with a scoreless seventh inning, sending Great Lakes to the 3-1 victory.
The Whitecaps jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning of game two, as Bojarski belted his towering two-run home run before Carlos Irigoyen roped a run-scoring double. West Michigan starter Jordan Marks struck out four Loons hitters through four innings pitched as Loons left fielder Joe Vranesh added a solo home run in the third to slim the lead to 3-1. The Whitecaps added two individual runs through the third and fourth innings as Wenceel Perez added a triple to plate Colt Keith before a wild pitch scored Bryant Packard to extend the lead to 5-1. The ‘Caps piled on three runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by back-to-back RBI-doubles from Bojarski and Packard to make it an 8-1 Whitecaps lead. Vranesh added his second home run of the game in the seventh, but Great Lakes couldn’t rally as the Whitecaps snapped their seven-game skid, 8-2.
Percival (1-0) picked up his first win of the season in game one as Hernandez secured his first save. Whitecaps reliever Gabe Sequeira (0-1) suffered his first loss, allowing two runs through just one inning of work. In the nightcap, reliever Dario Gardea (1-0) collected his first win, tossing one shutout inning with a strikeout, as Loons starter Kendall Williams (0-1) suffered his first loss, allowing five earned runs through three innings. The Whitecaps improve to 8-13 as the Loons fall to 10-11. Packard enjoyed a perfect 3-for-3 performance at the plate with two doubles in the game two victory.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps head to Michigan’s capital for a six-game series against the Lansing Lugnuts with a Tuesday afternoon contest from Jackson Field at 11:00 am. Pitcher Carlos Guzman gets the start for West Michigan against the Lugnuts. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 10:45 am. Get your tickets for all 2022 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.