COMSTOCK PARK, MI – Strong pitching and a heroic catch made the difference as the West Michigan Whitecaps snuck past the South Bend Cubs 5-4 on Guardians of The Galaxy night in front of 6,767 fans at LMCU Ballpark.
Whitecaps pitchers held the Cubs to a 2-for-12 mark with runners
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – Strong pitching and a heroic catch made the difference as the West Michigan Whitecaps snuck past the South Bend Cubs 5-4 on Guardians of The Galaxy night in front of 6,767 fans at LMCU Ballpark.
Whitecaps pitchers held the Cubs to a 2-for-12 mark with runners in scoring position, compiling 12 strikeouts as ‘Caps closer Jack Anderson snared a line drive up the middle from Cubs infielder Luis Verdugo to secure the victory.
WATCH: ANDERSON’S WALK-OFF CATCH
The Cubs scored in the first inning as Verdugo plated Pete Crow-Armstrong before a bases-loaded walk increased the lead to 2-0. Whitecaps starter Keider Montero buckled down after the first, tossing four scoreless frames with four punchouts as West Michigan responded with four runs in the fourth – highlighted by an RBI triple from Jake Holton – taking the 4-2 lead. Ben Malgeri added an insurance run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly, 5-2. In the ninth inning, Brennen Davis roped a two-run single to trim the advantage to 5-4. Still, the Cubs couldn’t complete the comeback, as Anderson snared a line drive to slam the door and earn the 5-4 win.
Montero (6-7) secures his sixth victory, allowing two runs through five innings with six strikeouts as Anderson gets his second save. Cubs starter Kohl Franklin (2-7) suffers his seventh loss, allowing four runs through five innings pitched. The Whitecaps improve to 62-56 and 31-21 in the second half, while the Cubs fall to 66-52 and 32-20 in the second half. The Whitecaps now sit two games back of the Lake County Captains for first place in the Midwest League East second-half standings.
UP NEXT
This six-game set between the Whitecaps and South Bend Cubs continues from LMCU Ballpark on Saturday at 6:35 pm. Detroit Tigers Top Prospect and pitcher Jackson Jobe makes his Whitecaps debut against Richard Gallardo for South Bend. 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.