MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Ball Bounces Whitecaps' Way In 13-Inning Win

Published on April 23, 2014 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


They got it on Wednesday, taking advantage of a game-ending error to outlast the Bowling Green Hot Rods for a 13-inning, 5-4 win at Fifth Third Ballpark.

After suffering four extra-inning losses in their previous seven games, West Michigan (10-9) improved to 2-4 in extra-inning contests while snapping a brief three-game losing streak. The 'Caps will look to salvage a four-game split in the series finale against Bowling Green (4-14) on Thursday night.

The Whitecaps tied Wednesday's afternoon contest at 4-4 with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth, and the pitching took over to make that score stand up until the bottom of the 13th.

The decisive rally began with a leadoff single to right by Tyler Gibson. Jose Zambrano bunted him to second and danced around a tag attempt to reach first base safely. Javier Betancourt followed with a bunt of his own back to the mound, and when reliever Aaron Griffin threw wildly past the third baseman, Gibson trotted home for the walk-off run.

Montreal Robertson (1-1) earned the win with 3.2 innings of scoreless, hitless relief. He worked around a pair of walks thanks in part to three strikeouts. Prior to Robertson, lefty reliever Joe Mantiply worked 2.1 shutout frames, including a key inning-ending strikeout in the eighth that stranded runners at second and third to maintain the tie score.

Griffin (1-2) suffered the loss. Prior to his error that allowed the game-winning unearned run to score, he had combined with Colton Reavis to provide six shutout innings of one-hit relief for Bowling Green.

All of the previous scoring took place in the middle innings.

The Hot Rods struck first on a two-run single by Oscar Hernandez in the top of the fourth, but the Whitecaps answered in the bottom of the inning. After a two-out RBI-single by Dominic Ficociello, Ben Verlander drilled a liner to left for a two-run homer - his first of the year - to give West Michigan a 3-2 edge.

Bowling Green countered with two-out runs in both the fifth and sixth, benefitting from a Kean Wong RBI-double and a run-scoring triple from Ty Young to go in front, 4-3.

But the Whitecaps tied it in the bottom of the sixth. Raph Rhymes led off with a double but was stuck at third with two outs. Wynton Bernard followed with a slow roller that looked like it would end the inning, but the ball snuck through the legs of the first baseman to even the score at 4-4.

The Whitecaps continue a seven-game homestand at Fifth Third Ballpark with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch against the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Thursday night. RHP Jonathon Crawford (0-1, 5.68) is scheduled to pitch for West Michigan against LHP Jordan Harrison (0-1, 3.60) of Bowling Green. Each day of the seven-game "Dollar Days" homestand will feature a different $1 special, including $1 hot dogs in addition to the usual Altogas Thrifty Thursday promotion. Season, group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

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Midwest League Stories from April 23, 2014


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