COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps used extra-base power and strong pitching to defeat the Dayton Dragons 6-5 and earn a series split in front of 6,233 fans Sunday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark.
West Michigan collected five doubles – one shy of tying their single-game high – as
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps used extra-base power and strong pitching to defeat the Dayton Dragons 6-5 and earn a series split in front of 6,233 fans Sunday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark.
West Michigan collected five doubles – one shy of tying their single-game high – as Bryant Packard, Josh Crouch, and Corey Joyce combined to go 7-for-10 with five RBIs. Meanwhile, Carlos Guzman picked up his second win in as many starts, allowing just one earned run through five innings with four strikeouts in the slim victory.
Jose Torres opened the game with an RBI in the top half of the first inning, putting the Dragons in front 1-0. The ‘Caps responded with five runs in the bottom half – featuring RBI doubles from Corey Joyce and Jose King – forging in front 5-1. Dayton added a run in the following inning as J.V. Martinez plated Michael Trautwein before Joyce added his second RBI in the third, 6-2. The Dragons continued to chip away as Garrett Wolforth roped an RBI single in the sixth before Quincy McAfee blasted a solo home run in the seventh, trimming the lead to 6-5. Still, Dayton couldn’t complete the comeback as Gabe Sequeira, and Dario Gardea combined for 2.1 scoreless frames with three strikeouts to secure the 6-5 victory.
Guzman (6-5) picks up his sixth win of the season as Gardea collects his second save. Dragons starter Chase Petty (0-1) suffers the loss in his Midwest League debut, allowing six runs through three innings. The Whitecaps haven’t lost a series since dropping four out of six games against the Dayton Dragons on May 24-29. The Whitecaps currently hold a four-game lead over the Lake County Captains for first place in the Midwest League East second-half standings. The Whitecaps improve to 52-44 and 21-9 in the second half. The Dragons fall to 48-46 and 9-19.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps hit the road to the State Capital for a six-game series against the in-state rival Lansing Lugnuts at LMCU Ballpark beginning Tuesday night at 7:05 pm. Detroit Tigers Top-5 Prospect Ty Madden gets the start for West Michigan against the Lugnuts Jake Walkinshaw. 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.