DAYTON, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps played their second doubleheader in three days, enjoying their first twin bill sweep with victories by scores of 3-0 and 5-3 in eight innings over the Dayton Dragons on Saturday in front of a season-high 8,575 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
The sweep
DAYTON, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps played their second doubleheader in three days, enjoying their first twin bill sweep with victories by scores of 3-0 and 5-3 in eight innings over the Dayton Dragons on Saturday in front of a season-high 8,575 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
The sweep guarantees the ‘Caps their first doubleheader sweep of the season, a series victory, and a return to West Michigan with a record over .500. The Whitecaps now sit with a 10-4 first-place record 14 games into the second half.
The first game saw a pitcher’s duel between West Michigan starter and Detroit Tigers Top 5 Prospect Ty Madden and Dayton lefty Evan Kravetz. The seven-inning game remained scoreless until the sixth when catcher Josh Crouch delivered a go-ahead, two-out, RBI-single to score Jake Holton and give the ‘Caps the first run of Game 1. Corey Joyce followed with a two-run, opposite-field home run – a two-run shot – to give West Michigan much-needed insurance and a 3-0 lead. Madden (4-4) was masterful in five dominant innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six in collecting his fourth win, while Kravetz (4-2) allowed just one run in suffering his second loss. Andrew Magno tossed a scoreless ninth to pick up his team-best sixth save of the season. The win becomes the Whitecaps second one-hitter this season and first since Wilmer Flores, Gio Arriera, and Bryce Tassin combined to one-hit the Lansing Lugnuts in a 6-0 win on April 14 at LMCU Ballpark.
In the second game, the Whitecaps took a 2-0 lead to the fourth inning, but Cincinnati Red Top Prospect Elly De La Cruz launched a solo home run in both the fourth and sixth innings to help Dayton tie the contest. The pair of homers gave the talented shortstop homers from both sides of the plate for the second time in the series and five home runs overall. The game went to an eighth and extra-inning when Bryant Packard, Carlos Mendoza, and Cooper Johnson all contributed with RBI-singles to help the ‘Caps take a 5-2 lead. In the bottom of the frame, manager Brayan Pena decided to issue De La Cruz an intentional walk and bring the potential winning run to the plate in infielder Tyler Callahan, who popped out to end the ballgame. Reliever Chavez Fernander (1-0) collected the win with an inning of scoreless relief, while Dragons closer Donovan Benoit (3-4) gave up three runs in the eighth inning in suffering his fourth loss. The Whitecaps improve to 41-39 with a first-place 10-4 second-half record, while the Dragons fall to 44-36 and a 5-9 second-half mark.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps conclude this six-game series against the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark on Sunday at 1:05 pm. Lefty Brant Hurter, a Detroit Tigers Top-30 prospect, gets the start for West Michigan against Dayton righty Joe Boyle in a rematch of the ‘Caps 20-1 win last Monday on the Fourth of July. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 12:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2022 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.