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Whitecaps Sink TinCaps on Sunday

May 13, 2012 - Midwest League (MWL) Fort Wayne TinCaps

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - A four-run eighth inning propelled the West Michigan Whitecaps to a 5-3 come-from-behind win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Sunday afternoon at Parkview Field. A two-run home run by Dean Green in the sixth broke a 3-3 tie as Whitecaps evened the series at one game apiece.

For the second straight night, Fort Wayne (16-21) put the first runs of the game on the board. Scoreless after three innings, the TinCaps got help from the West Michigan defense to take a 1-0 lead. Fort Wayne second baseman Casey McElroy began the fourth by drawing a walk, and after a strikeout by Travis Whitmore, McElroy advanced to third on a double by Mike Gallic. On that play, the throw into second base by right fielder Steven Moya slipped away from the infield defense, and McElroy came home. Moya was charged with an error.

West Michigan (18-19) scored one run to tie the game in the fifth. Green led off with a double to right field, and moved to third on a Moya single. Curt Casali then grounded into a double play, allowing Green to score. TinCaps starter Frank Garces went five innings, allowing one run, three hits, walking one and striking out three. His season ERA dropped from 2.52 to 2.44.

In the bottom of the fifth, Fort Wayne's Clark Murphy bunted his way aboard, and as West Michigan pitcher Marcelo Carreno tried to gun down Murphy at first base, his throw went wide of the bag, allowing Murphy to go to second. Corey Adamson then came to the plate and laid down a bunt, which was fielded by Carreno. The pitcher attempted to throw out Murphy, who was running for third, but Carreno's throw once again was off target and Murphy scored, making it 2-1 TinCaps. Adamson later crossed the plate on a two-out single by Clark Murphy to increase the advantage to 3-1.

Justin Hancock (0-2) pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh, but faced trouble in the eighth against the Whitecaps lineup. Jeff Holm led off with a double, and was sacrificed to third on a bunt by Colin Kaline. Hancock then walked Chad Wright, and gave up an RBI single to Brandon Loy, which made the score 3-2. Hancock was pulled from the game in favor of Matt Stites, who had not allowed a run to score in 13 2/3 innings to begin the year. Stites yielded a sacrifice fly to Eugenio Suarez, tying the game at three, and that was followed by a two-out, two-run blast to left by Dean Green, giving West Michigan a 5-3 cushion, which would hold for good.

Jeff Ferrell pitched four innings out of West Michigan's bullpen in relief of Carreno to earn the win. Ferrell surrendered only two hits over the final four innings and struck out three. He earned the victory in his first outing of the year.

Game three of the series is Monday night at 7:05 at Parkview Field. The scheduled starters are Adys Portillo for Fort Wayne and Tommy Collier for West Michigan.

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Midwest League Stories from May 13, 2012


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