COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a home run from outfielder Brady Allen in his first game as a Whitecap and two more unique homers as part of a 17-9 loss to the Lake County Captains in front of 4,540 fans Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark.
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COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a home run from outfielder Brady Allen in his first game as a Whitecap and two more unique homers as part of a 17-9 loss to the Lake County Captains in front of 4,540 fans Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark.
The Whitecaps hit three home runs on the night. Along with the home run from Allen, the ‘Caps also hit home runs off each of the two foul poles – one by Josh Crouch in the second and the other by Luis Garcia in the 8th – at LMCU Ballpark. It is believed to be the first time in ‘Caps history that West Michigan has accomplished the feat in a single game.
Meanwhile, West Michigan collected four extra-base hits, but every Captains hitter recorded a hit as ‘Caps pitching allowed a season-high 19 base hits – including three home runs accounting for eight runs – and surrendered a season-high nine walks in the loss.
Lake County scored in the first inning as a wild pitch scored Captains shortstop Juan Brito before Joe Lampe lifted a sacrifice fly, taking the 2-0 lead. The Captains added to their advantage in the next frame as designated hitter Jake Fox blasted a grand slam to extend the Lake County lead to 6-0. The Whitecaps responded with four runs in the bottom half – highlighted by the three-run homer from Crouch – trimming the lead to 6-4. Lake County exploded for seven runs in the top of the third – featuring a three-run homer from Joe Lampe – before ‘Caps infielder Danny Serretti added an RBI single, trimming the lead to 13-5. Both teams scored in the fifth as the Captains added two runs – including Lampe’s second home run – before Allen blasted a two-run bomb, bringing the lead to 15-7. West Michigan plated individual runs in the sixth and eighth innings but couldn’t rally, as the ‘Captains added two more insurance tallies in the eighth frame to coast to the 17-9 win.
The Captains improve to 20-20 as the Whitecaps fall to 22-18 and now sit three games back of the Great Lakes Loons for first place in the Midwest League East division. Captains starter Rodney Boone (1-2) allowed eight runs through 5.2 innings in his first victory of the year, as ‘Caps starter Wilkel Hernandez (1-3) lasted only 1.2 innings, allowing six runs (only two of them earned) in his third loss. Lampe matched his season total in home runs with two in the winning effort. The Whitecaps and Captains lasted a total of 3:15 – making it the longest game of the 2023 season.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this series with the Lake County Captains for a Wednesday morning matchup from LMCU Ballpark at 11:00 am. Pitcher Carlos Pena is expected to get the start for West Michigan. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 10:45 am. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.