COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps saw a dominant pitching performance and clutch hitting carry them to their seventh-straight victory 3-1 over the Lake County Captains in front of 7,176 fans Saturday night at LMCU Ballpark.
Whitecaps starter Carlos Pena put on a show, tossing six scoreless frames
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps saw a dominant pitching performance and clutch hitting carry them to their seventh-straight victory 3-1 over the Lake County Captains in front of 7,176 fans Saturday night at LMCU Ballpark.
Whitecaps starter Carlos Pena put on a show, tossing six scoreless frames with eight strikeouts as ‘Caps pitchers tallied 11 punchouts while holding Lake County to an 0-for-4 mark with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, Eliezer Alfonzo and Roberto Campos combined to go 3-for-7 with a double, triple, and three RBI in the victory.
Neither team scored through the first three innings, as Lake County and West Michigan managed just one hit a piece. In the fourth, Alfonzo scored Hao-Yu Lee on an RBI single before Campos added an RBI triple, jumping in front 2-0. At the same time, Pena held the Captains to just three hits through the first six innings as Alfonzo added an RBI triple, extending the advantage to 3-0. The ‘Caps bullpen picked up where Pena left off, as reliever Bryce Tassin tossed two scoreless frames with a pair of punchouts to maintain the 3-0 lead. Lake County finally scored in the ninth as Chase DeLauter crossed the plate on a wild pitch, but it was too late, as ‘Caps closer Dario Gardea struck out Captains left fielder Jorge Burgos to earn the save and put the finishing touches on the 3-1 victory.
The Whitecaps record improves to 51-49 overall and 19-16 in the second half, while the Captains fall to 46-54 and 15-20 in the second half. Pena (4-6) secures his fourth win of the year as Gardea collects his sixth save. Captains starter Aaron Davenport (3-9) suffers his ninth loss of the year, allowing three runs (two earned) through seven innings pitched. West Michigan extends their longest winning streak of the season to seven straight and is one win shy of tying the longest win streak with Brayan Pena as manager. The Whitecaps now sit one game back of first place in the Midwest League East Division and are tied with the Dayton Dragons for second place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps conclude this six-game series against the Lake County Captains from LMCU Ballpark Sunday at 2:00 pm. Dylan Smith returns to West Michigan for a Minor League Rehab Assignment to start for West Michigan against Lake County’s Steve Hajjar. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 1:45 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.