DAYTON, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps split a doubleheader with a 7-3 victory, followed by a 5-0, one-hit shutout loss to the Dayton Dragons on Thursday night in front of 7,715 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
The split guarantees West Michigan keeps their record even at .500 and a
DAYTON, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps split a doubleheader with a 7-3 victory, followed by a 5-0, one-hit shutout loss to the Dayton Dragons on Thursday night in front of 7,715 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
The split guarantees West Michigan keeps their record even at .500 and a 39-39 mark, while their win in the first game becomes the 100th victory in franchise history against the Dragons in Dayton. The Whitecaps now own an overall lifetime record of 204-150 against the Dragons.
The first game watched West Michigan get out to a 6-0 lead. A two-run single by Austin Murr and a two-run homer from Trei Cruz helped the ‘Caps enjoy a commanding start on Thursday. Cincinnati Reds top prospect Elly De La Cruz blasted two homers to help trim the West Michigan lead to 6-3, but a passed ball by Dayton catcher Daniel Vellojin gave the ‘Caps insurance and a 7-3 lead. The win pushed their record over .500 at 39-38 for the first time since the team was 7-6 in mid-April. Starting pitcher Carlos Guzman (4-5) was given his fourth win after allowing two runs and working in and out of trouble during his five innings, while the Dragons Miguel Medrano (1-1) gave up four runs in three innings in taking his first loss.
In the second game, the Whitecaps got their first base hit on the first pitch of the contest, as outfielder Ben Malgeri began the match with a single, but it ended up as their only hit of the game. Dayton built their lead on the home run, as a trio of homers from Quin Cotton, Ashton Creal, and De La Cruz – who launched his third home run of the doubleheader – extending their lead to 5-0. Dayton pitcher Christian Roa (3-3) dominated by striking out nine batters in five scoreless frames, while pitcher Matt Walker (0-1) gave up three runs in three innings, suffering his first loss.
The Whitecaps improve to 39-39 with a first-place 8-4 second-half record, while the Dragons move to 44-34 and a 5-7 second-half mark. De La Cruz homered from both sides of the plate, while Murr enjoyed a streak of reaching base successfully in ten straight at-bats before ending in the nightcap.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series against the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark on Friday at 7:05 pm. Pitcher Ty Madden, a Detroit Tigers top prospect, gets the start for West Michigan against Dayton lefty Evan Kravetz. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2022 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.