'Caps Falter Late in Walk-off Loss

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MWL West Michigan Whitecaps

'Caps Falter Late in Walk-off Loss

August 31, 2024 - Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


DAYTON, OH - The West Michigan Whitecaps finished on the wrong end of a back-and-forth contest as part of an 8-7 walk-off loss to the Dayton Dragons in front of 8,227 fans Saturday at Day Air Ballpark, dropping them 4.5 games behind in the race for a spot in the 2024 postseason with seven games remaining.

An infield single by John Michael Faile in the ninth inning capped a night where both teams had and lost leads, the last of which was a three-run advantage surrendered by West Michigan over the final three frames.

The Whitecaps took the lead with single runs in the first two innings but ultimately missed the chance to take a significant early advantage. A Max Anderson run-scoring single helped the 'Caps take a 2-0 lead after two, but the bigger story found West Michigan leaving the bases loaded on both occasions against struggling starter Mason Pelio, who entered the contest with an ERA of 9.30. The missed opportunities came back to haunt West Michigan, beginning in the fourth, when Cam Collier, the MVP of the 2024 MLB Futures Game, clubbed a two-run homer, estimated at 426 feet, to tie the game at two, before Carter Graham, who committed a fielding error to help the Whitecaps score its first run, launched a go-ahead two-run shot to put Dayton ahead, 4-2. An inning later, the 'Caps finally broke through with the bases packed when Jim Jarvis lined a three-run double down the first-base line to put West Michigan back on top by a score of 5-4. Max Clark's run-scoring double and an RBI groundout from Anderson extended the lead to 7-4. A solo home run from Hector Rodriguez in the seventh trimmed the deficit to two before a critical passed ball by catcher Thayron Liranzo set the table for a pair of sacrifice flies to tie the game at seven in the eighth. In the ninth, Dragons outfielder Ethan O'Donnell was hit by a pitch before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error by Liranzo. After an intentional walk to Collier, an infield single by John Michael Faile scored O'Donnell to end the contest and send the Dragons to 4.5 games ahead of the 'Caps with just seven games to go.

The Whitecaps fall to 32-26 in the second half overall mark to 63-61, while the Dragons improve to 37-22 in the back half of 2022 and 71-54 overall. Dayton righty Simon Miller (2-2) gets his second win for a scoreless ninth inning, while 'Caps reliever CJ Weins (0-1) takes his first loss. Anderson finished the evening reaching base four times in a 3-for-4 performance with a run scored and two RBI in a losing cause.

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps conclude this six-game series with their final road game of the regular season against the Dayton Dragons from Day Air Ballpark on Sunday at 1:05 pm. Pitchers Carlos Marcano and Gabriel Aguilera take the mound for West Michigan and Dayton, respectively. Tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network beginning at 12:50 pm on 106.1 FM 'The Ticket' and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids to catch all the action. Don't miss out on the excitement; get tickets for all remaining 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.

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