MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps saw dominant pitching and a huge swing from Tigers top-10 prospect Hao-Yu Lee propel them to a 6-2 victory over the Great Lakes Loons in front of 3,920 fans Thursday night at Dow Diamond.
Lee, the Detroit Tigers No. 8 prospect according to
MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps saw dominant pitching and a huge swing from Tigers top-10 prospect Hao-Yu Lee propel them to a 6-2 victory over the Great Lakes Loons in front of 3,920 fans Thursday night at Dow Diamond.
Lee, the Detroit Tigers No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, delivered a three-run homer in the third inning – his first as a West Michigan Whitecap. Meanwhile, Whitecaps starter Troy Melton allowed just two runs through six innings with four strikeouts as West Michigan held Great Lakes to a 2-for-7 mark with runners in scoring position in the victory.
West Michigan grabbed the lead by plating five runs in the third inning – featuring the three-run homer from Hao-Yu Lee – taking the commanding 5-0 lead. Great Lakes responded in the bottom of the third as Jake Vogel added an RBI double before crossing the plate on an RBI single from Taylor Young, cutting the ‘Caps lead to 5-2. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps loaded the bases in the fourth and fifth but only added one insurance run, as Austin Murr added an RBI – extending the advantage to 6-2. West Michigan pitchers retired 16 of the last 17 batters they faced as Great Lakes failed to rally. Whitecaps relievers Angel Reyes and Trevin Michael combined for three scoreless frames with three strikeouts to slam the door on the 6-2 victory.
The Whitecaps improve to 53-50 overall and 21-17 in the second half, while the Loons fall to 64-40 overall and 19-20 in the second half. Melton (3-1) picks up his third win of the season while Loons starter Hyun-il Choi (2-3) suffers his third loss, allowing five runs through 2.2 innings pitched. The Whitecaps now sit just a half-game behind the Fort Wayne TinCaps for first place in the Midwest League East Division. The Whitecaps have won nine of their last ten contests and are 7-1 in August.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons from Dow Diamond to Friday night at 7:05 pm. Pitchers Garrett Burhenn and Peter Huebeck get the starts for West Michigan and Great Lakes. Broadcast coverage with Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.