'Caps Fall on Fourth, 6-5
Published on July 4, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps brought the potential game-winning run to the plate in the ninth inning but couldn't complete the rally, falling to the Lake County Captains 6-5 in front of 4,779 fans on a Fourth of July Saturday at LMCU Ballpark.
Despite taking an early 4-0 lead on a grand slam from outfielder Patrick Lee, West Michigan couldn't find a big swing down the stretch, stranding four runners in scoring position over the final five innings in the narrow loss.
Lake County Captains starting pitcher Jackson Humphries left the game in the second after being struck by a line drive in the leg, leaving the bases loaded before reliever Xavier Martinez surrendered the grand slam to Lee, putting the 'Caps in front 4-0. Captains outfielder Nolan Schubart collected a solo home run - his third homer in four games the Michigan native has played during the series - in the fourth before Captains shortstop Dean Curley delivered a two-run single to cut the deficit to one. Moments later, Whitecaps catcher Ricardo Hurtado answered with an RBI single in the bottom half, extending the lead to 5-3. The Captains then took the lead in the sixth on a go-ahead three-run homer from catcher Tyler Howard, to take a 6-5 lead. West Michigan put runners on second base in two of the final three frames but couldn't convert, as Lake County relievers Logan McGuire and Kendeglys Virguez combined for three scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts to close out the victory.
The Whitecaps fall to 8-6 in the second half and 32-46 overall, while the Captains improve to 7-6 and 44-33 overall. Whitecaps reliever Juanmi Vasquez (1-1) suffered his first loss after allowing five runs over 1.2 innings pitched. Captains reliever Luis Flores (2-1) earned his second win, allowing just one run over 1.1 innings of work, while Virguez recorded his second save with a scoreless ninth inning. Whitecaps starting pitcher Charlie Christensen looked solid in his home debut, allowing just one run over four innings while striking out five. Whitecaps starting pitchers have impressed throughout this series, posting a 2.83 ERA through the first five games.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps and Captains conclude this six-game series with a Sunday matinee from LMCU Ballpark at 2:00pm. Righty Rayner Castillo gets the start for the Whitecaps against the Captains Jervis Alfaro. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 1:45pm on 'The Ticket West Michigan' and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, or listen to all the action on whitecapsbaseball.com.
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