'Caps Fall to Cubs, 5-4
Published on May 22, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps had a two-run lead into the late innings, but were unable to protect it, falling to the South Bend Cubs by a score of 5-4 in front of 4,754 fans Friday night at LMCU Ballpark.
Despite loading the bases twice, the 'Caps finished just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position as the Cubs staged a late rally, scoring three runs in the seventh inning to hand West Michigan the 5-4 loss.
For the second game in a row, the Whitecaps took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as third baseman Clayton Campbell plated catcher Luke Schliger on a sacrifice fly. The Cubs responded in the second when catcher Justin Stransky delivered an RBI double to even the game at one. South Bend jumped in front in the fifth as first baseman Cam Sisneros added an RBI single, but the lead was short-lived as West Michigan rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Schliger to take a 4-2 advantage. The lead changed hands for the fourth and final time in the seventh as South Bend scored three runs, highlighted by a go-ahead RBI single from outfielder Leonel Espinoza, to reclaim a 5-4 edge. The Whitecaps managed just one baserunner over the final three frames as Cubs relievers JP Wheat and Ethan Bell combined to toss three scoreless innings with five strikeouts to seal the narrow victory.
The Whitecaps fall to 14-29 while the Cubs improve to 23-16. 'Caps reliever Ryan Harvey (1-2) suffered his second loss after allowing three runs (one earned) over two innings. Meanwhile, Cubs reliever Adam Stone (3-0) earned his third win by tossing 1.2 scoreless innings, while Bell picked up his third save by retiring the side in the ninth. Schliger finished the night 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI and has impressed since joining West Michigan, posting a .278 batting average with a .381 on-base percentage to go along with one home run and four RBI.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the penultimate contest of this six-game series at LMCU Ballpark against the South Bend Cubs on Saturday at 7:05pm. Pitchers Rayner Castillo and Jostin Florentino get the starts for West Michigan and South Bend. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50pm on 106.1 FM 'The Ticket', and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, or listen to all the action on whitecapsbaseball.com.
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