COMSTOCK PARK, MI – Pitcher Ty Madden posted five shutout innings while the bullpen dominated as the West Michigan Whitecaps defeated the Dayton Dragons 4-1 in front of 5,334 fans Wednesday evening at LMCU Ballpark.
Madden compiled four strikeouts through five scoreless innings as ‘Caps pitching held Dayton to an
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – Pitcher Ty Madden posted five shutout innings while the bullpen dominated as the West Michigan Whitecaps defeated the Dayton Dragons 4-1 in front of 5,334 fans Wednesday evening at LMCU Ballpark.
Madden compiled four strikeouts through five scoreless innings as ‘Caps pitching held Dayton to an 0-for-7 mark with runners in scoring position while only allowing two walks in the victory. The Whitecaps have won 21 of their last 27 games.
West Michigan struck first in the second inning as Josh Crouch blasted a two-run home run to put the ‘Caps in front 2-0. The blast from Crouch was his seventh of the season and his fifth straight game with an RBI. Dayton advanced five runners into scoring position through the first five innings but failed to score as Corey Joyce added a two-run homer in the sixth, extending the lead to 4-0. The Dragons responded in the eighth inning as Quincy McAfee pounded a solo homer to slim the lead to 4-1. Still, the Dragons couldn’t complete the comeback as Whitecaps closer Chavez Fernander slammed the door with a scoreless ninth inning to secure the 4-1 victory. The ‘Caps won their fourth straight game despite leaving 13 runners in scoring position in the victory.
Madden (5-4) secures his fifth victory and goes over the .500 mark as a starting pitcher as Fernander picks up his first save with a shutout ninth inning. Dragons starter Miguel Medrano (1-3) suffers his third loss, allowing two runs through three innings of work. The Whitecaps have won 17 of their last 20 games and are 20-6 in the second half. The Whitecaps improve to 51-41 and 20-6 in the second half. The Dragons fall to 45-45 and 6-20 in the second half. West Michigan matches their longest winning streak of the season at four straight and holds a five-game lead over the Lake County Captains for first place in the Midwest League East Division.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series at LMCU Ballpark Thursday night for Negro League Appreciation Night, where West Michigan will wear the jerseys of the Negro League Grand Rapids Black Sox as they take on the Dayton Dragons at 6:35 pm. Righties Keider Montero and Christian Roa get the starts on the mound for West Michigan and Dayton respectively. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm. Get your tickets for all 2022 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.