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 West Michigan Whitecaps

Plagman Powers Game Two Explosion In Split

July 24, 2010 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers each picked up a victory on Friday night at Fifth Third Ballpark, with the ‘Caps battling back for a 14-8 win in the nightcap after the Timber Rattlers snuck out a 3-2 victory in the completion of Thursday night's suspended game.

After dropping the early game, West Michigan (8-19, 34-62) exploded a seven-run rally in the third inning of the second contest, batting around before an out had been recorded. Tony Plagman led the charge with a 3-for-3 effort that included a home run and four RBI, but Wisconsin (13-14, 39-56) still took two of the three games in the series.

Following a game-one loss and a 30-minute break, the Whitecaps exploded in the nightcap. Rob Brantly's run-scoring double in the second inning helped West Michigan to a 2-0 advantage, but it was a monster rally one inning later that put the game out of reach.

The first nine batters in the bottom of the third inning all reached base for the Whitecaps and the first seven hitters of the frame all came around to score. Wade Gaynor and Avisail Garcia each delivered two-run singles before a walk to Brantly loaded the bases and chased Timber Rattlers' starter Damon Krestalude from the game. Alexis Espinoza and Jimmy Gulliver greeted reliever Adrian Rosario with consecutive run-scoring hits and Jamie Johnson added a sacrifice fly to cap the rally. When the dust had settled, five singles and three walks led to a comfortable 9-0 advantage.

Despite the hefty lead, West Michigan was far from done. Ahead by a 9-2 score, Plagman went to work in the fourth and fifth innings to blow the game wide open. The Tigers' ninth-round pick out of Georgia Tech in this summer's draft delivered an RBI-single and came around to score in the fourth as the lead swelled to 11-2. One inning later, the 22-year-old slugger blasted a three-run homer to right-center that made it a 14-2.

With the game out of hand, the Timber Rattlers rallied late for four runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh before the Whitecaps wrapped up the 14-8 final. Giovanni Soto (6-6) earned the win, allowing three runs - two earned - on four hits over five innings. Krestalude (2-6, 6.71) suffered the loss after getting knocked around for nine runs on six hits in just two frames.

Earlier in the day, it was Wisconsin picking up a victory.

Friday's action officially began on Thursday night, when the Timber Rattlers jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second. That score remained until lightning and rain sent the game into a delay in the bottom of the fifth. Though the Whitecaps were mid-rally with the bases loaded and nobody out, Mother Nature forced the game to be suspended and the rally had to wait one more night.

When play resumed on Friday, Luis Alberto Sanz had a 1-0 count with the bags packed and nobody out. He smacked a pitch from Santo Manzanillo back up the middle, but the ball ricocheted off the pitcher's leg and right to the third baseman, who threw home for a force out. Johnson followed with a sacrifice fly to right that cut the deficit in half, but that was all the ‘Caps would muster as Wisconsin held on to a 2-1 lead.

Chris Dennis made it 3-1 with a solo homer in the top of the sixth, but West Michigan rallied again in the bottom half of the frame. Gaynor delivered the first of four consecutive hits with a one-out double and moved to third on an infield single by Plagman. Garcia chipped in with a run-scoring single to right and Michael Rockett loaded the bases with a hit up the middle. But 3-2 was as close as the Whitecaps could get, as Clay Jones popped up on the infield and Luis Alberto Sanz lined out to first to strand the bases loaded.

Manzanillo (1-1) earned the win for Wisconsin with 3.1 innings after play resumed on Friday, while Luis Angel Sanz (1-5) suffered the loss despite allowing just two runs - one earned - over five frames on Thursday night.

The Whitecaps continue a six-game homestand at Fifth Third Ballpark with game one of a three-game series against the Beloit Snappers (Twins) at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 24. RHP Trevor Feeney (7-10, 3.52) is slated to take the hill for the ‘Caps against RHP Tom Stuifbergen (4-0, 1.48) of the Snappers. The ballgame will feature special jerseys, promotions and in-park characters on Star Wars Night, which will kick off with glow-in-the-dark baseballs for the first 1,000 fans and wind down with fireworks courtesy of Farm Bureau Insurance. Season, group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting whitecapsbaseball.com.


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