'Caps Run over by Hot Rods
May 23, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps chipped away at a significant early deficit but could not complete a comeback in a 9-7 loss to the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Thursday in front of 6,418 at Fifth Third Ballpark.
Trailing 8-3 in the sixth, the "Caps Ulrich Bojarski delivered a bases-loaded triple to pace a four-run frame and close the gap to 8-7, but a late-inning Hot Rods insurance run secured the victory as the Whitecaps absorbed three losses in the four-game series.
Wilkel Hernandez started for West Michigan while Cristopher Sanchez was pressed into last-minute starting duties for Bowling Green. The Hot Rods loaded the bases twice in the first three innings and scored three times to take an early lead off Hernandez. Four more runs in the form of a Chris Betts grand slam greeted "Caps reliever Carson Lance in the fourth and extended the Hot Rods lead to 7-0. West Michigan tallied their first runs of the contest in the fourth and closed the gap to 7-3. Jeremiah Burks and Chris Proctor highlighted the inning with RBI-singles. After Bowling Green countered with a single run to make it 8-3 in the sixth, Bojarski's three-run triple in the bottom half nearly allowed the "Caps to complete their biggest comeback of the 2019 season. Bowling Green had other plans by producing an insurance run in the seventh to extend their margin to 9-7. The "Caps went hitless over the last three innings and took the loss to fall to 2-7 on the homestand, and 9-17 overall at home in 2019.
Proctor recorded two of the eight hits on the day for the Whitecaps and extended his multi-hit hitting streak to seven games. Bojarski tallied two hits as well along with three RBI in the loss. Hernandez (4-4) took his second straight loss, throwing just three innings and giving up seven hits and four earned runs. Hernandez walked two and struck out two. Shane McClanahan (4-3) who was initially scheduled to start the game, picked up the win in relief for the Hot Rods. McClanahan allowed three earned runs on three hits, walked a season-high five and struck out six in five innings of work. With the loss, West Michigan has lost 13 of their last 17 games and falls to 18-28 on the year. With five wins in their previous seven games, Bowling Green improves to a season-best 27-20 in 2019.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps hit the road for a four-game series against the South Bend Cubs with a Friday night contest beginning at 7:35 pm. Pitcher Hugh Smith starts for West Michigan against the Cubs Riley Thompson. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 7:25 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.
Midwest League Stories from May 23, 2019
- Marcano's Walk-Off Single in 9th Beats Cubs 3-2 and Completes Sweep - South Bend Cubs
- 'Caps Walk Off, Sweep Cubs - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Miscues Catch up to Loons in Finale - Great Lakes Loons
- Cougars Drop Three of Four to Bandits - Kane County Cougars
- Bandits Break out in 10th Inning to Close Road Trip with Win - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Lugs Squash Loons' Winning Streak, 9-4 - Lansing Lugnuts
- Gomez, Molina Carry Kernels to 2-1 Win - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Captains Shutout Dragons in Series Finale - Dayton Dragons
- Betts, Hot Rods Slam Whitecaps in 9-7 Victory - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- 'Caps Run over by Hot Rods - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Chiefs Hold Off Rattlers to End Wisconsinâ??s Winning Streak - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- LumberKings Return Home For Memorial Day Homestand - Clinton LumberKings
- Dragons Notes for Thursday - Dayton Dragons
- Chiefs Score Four in First, Hold on For 6-5 Win - Peoria Chiefs
- TinCaps Game Notes: May 23 vs. South Bend (Game 44) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Burlington Splits Road Doubleheader with Cedar Rapids - Burlington Bees
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
