Briceño Slays Dragons with 9th Inning Slam, 7-4
May 31, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
DAYTON, OH - With the West Michigan Whitecaps down to their final out, a furious ninth-inning rally culminated in a go-ahead grand slam by Detroit Tigers top prospect Josue Briceño as part of a 7-4 win over the Dayton Dragons in front of a sellout crowd of 8,254 on Saturday at Day Air Ballpark.
Briceño, who became the first Whitecaps player since 2006 to hit three home runs and the first in baseball's modern era to record a steal of home in the process, added another signature moment to his West Michigan career with his third grand slam of the season - with Saturday's giving his team the lead with two outs in the ninth inning. The 'Caps seventh-straight victory ties their season-high and slashes West Michigan's magic number to clinch the Midwest League Eastern Division down to nine games and gives them a chance at their second-six-game sweep of the first half on Sunday.
Dayton drew the first tally of the contest in the second inning when Carlos Jorge blasted a solo home run, his fourth of the season and second of the series, to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. In the third, the Whitecaps battled back with three runs in an inning highlighted by a run-scoring single from Kevin McGonigle to take a 3-1 lead. The Dragons collected single runs in the third and fourth innings on an RBI Double from Leo Balcazar and a run-scoring single by John Michael Faile to level the score at three. In the sixth, a sacrifice fly by Connor Burns gave Dayton a 4-3 lead. The score remained the same until the ninth, when the 'Caps mounted a rally against all odds. After the first two batters were retired in order, catcher Archer Brookman found himself in an 0-2 count. Down to the Whitecaps final strike, Brookman worked a full count and a two-out walk, keeping the 'Caps hopes alive. After Seth Stephenson reached on a Dragons fielding error, McGonigle drew a walk to load the bases. Briceño wasted no time, hitting the first pitch he saw down the right field line for the grand slam and giving West Michigan a lead they would never relinquish.
The Whitecaps improve to 35-15 while the Dragons fall to 17-33. Micah Ashman (3-2) picked up his third win in relief, while Dragons pitcher Cody Adcock (0-3) gave up the grand slam in the ninth in taking his third loss. Trevin Michael worked a scoreless ninth in collecting his third save. Luke Gold led the 'Caps offense with three hits and a run scored in the victory.
UP NEXT
This six-game series against the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark concludes with a Sunday matinee at 1:05 pm. Pitchers Rayner Castillo and Nestor Lorant get the starts on the mound in a rematch of the first game of the series last Tuesday. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 12:50 pm on 106.1 FM 'The Ticket' and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Catch all the action on the radio or listen to the game live at whitecapsbaseball.com.
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