Bullpen Wastes Grand Slam in 7-6 Loss
June 23, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
EASTLAKE, OH - The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a tiebreaking grand slam in the sixth inning, but their bullpen blew a four-run lead as part of a 7-6 loss to the Lake County Captains on Sunday afternoon at Classic Park.
As the Whitecaps failed to find a baserunner until the fifth inning, they rallied from a 2-0 deficit before Zach Malis hit a go-ahead grand slam. Moments later, West Michigan reliever Jose Vasquez walked two batters and gave up three runs, failing to finish the inning before reliever Jared Tobey allowed back-to-back home runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to Miguel Jerez and Jonathan Engelmann, dealing the "Caps their sixth straight loss in walk-off fashion.
Lake County took a first-inning lead on a run-scoring single by Cody Farhat to take a 1-0 edge. In the fourth, infielder Andre Lipcius dropped an infield pop-up to allow the Captains another run to extend the lead to 2-0. A Parker Meadows RBI-single gave West Michigan its first hit in the following frame before a bases-load walk to Ulrich Bojarski in the sixth tied the game at two. Malis followed with a towering driving drive down the right-field line for his first Whitecaps homer - a grand slam - to break the tie and take a 6-2 lead. After Vasquez struggled, reliever Yaya Chentouf entered and threw two scoreless innings before Jared Tobey came on in the eighth to strand a pair of Lake County baserunners to end the frame before allowing the home runs in the ninth.
Captains pitcher Kyle Marman (1-1) tossed 1.2 scoreless innings for his first victory of the season, while Tobey (0-1) took his first loss. The Whitecaps record falls to 21-52 on the year, while Lake County improves to 44-29 during the 2019 season. Lipcius notched his first hits as a Whitecap, going 2-for-5 in a losing cause.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps return home for a four-game series against the Dayton Dragons from Fifth Third Ballpark beginning on Tuesday at 7:05 pm. Pitcher Brad Bass makes his 2019 West Michigan debut against the Dragons Jhon De Jesus. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Mike Coleman starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:55 pm. Tickets are available for any Whitecaps 2019 home contest by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or by visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
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