MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

'Caps Score 14 Unanswered Runs In Wild Comeback Win

Published on July 28, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


EASTLAKE, OH - More than five hours after the scheduled first pitch, the West Michigan Whitecaps held on for a wild 16-14 win over the Lake County Captains in a game that started Wednesday night but ended Thursday morning at Classic Park.

The evening started with the news that Whitecaps All-Star Giovanni Soto had been traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Cleveland Indians for major league third baseman Jhonny Peralta. During the one hour, 18-minute rain delay that pushed back first pitch, Soto switched clubhouses to join his new team, the Captains.

When the game finally started, West Michigan (10-21, 36-64) rattled off 14 unanswered runs to overcome an 8-2 deficit, crossing the plate six times in the sixth before adding eight more runs during an eighth-inning rally. Lake County (14-17, 58-42) got huge nights from Casey Frawley, who homered twice, and Adam Abraham, who left the yard once, as each slugger drove in five runs apiece.

The two teams combined for 30 runs, 28 hits, 17 walks and four errors in a game that lasted three hours and 56 minutes after the lengthy rain delay. When the final out was recorded, the clock read 12:14 a.m. local time.

Despite a flurry of scoring early, the action began in earnest with the Whitecaps trailing 8-2 heading into the top of the sixth.

The rally started with the help of three walks that loaded the bases before six two-out runs eventually crossed the plate. Jeff Rowland and Corey Jones both legged out infield singles that pushed across one run each, while a wild pitch brought home a third runner to pull the 'Caps within 8-5. With runners at second and third, Wade Gaynor ripped a two-run double down the third base line to make it a one-run game. Tony Plagman followed with a bouncer to third that appeared it would end the inning, but an errant throw to first allowed Gaynor to round third for the game-tying run.

The 8-8 score remained until the eighth, when West Michigan took advantage of another series of walks to explode for another big inning. Three more free passes loaded the bases with one out before Plagman drove the go-ahead single through the left side. A walk and a single led to another run each before Clay Jones delivered a two-run double. After Hernan Perez added an RBI-single, Jamie Johnson capped the eight-run rally with a two-run triple that staked the Whitecaps to a 16-8 lead.

On a night where no lead seemed safe, the Captains plated four runs in the bottom of the eighth before Frawley's second home run of the night made it a 16-14 game in the ninth.

Jordan Pratt (1-1) earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, making him the only one of the five Whitecaps pitchers - and nine combined pitchers - to see game action without giving up a run. Ryan Morris (0-2) suffered the loss for Lake County.

Hours earlier, after the rain finally cleared for the late first pitch, West Michigan started the scoring when Jeff Rowland blasted his first professional homer in the top of the first for a 1-0 Whitecaps lead.

Shortly thereafter, the Captains seized control.

In the bottom of the first, Abraham split the gap in right-center for a two-run double that put the Captains in front, 2-1. One inning later, consecutive doubles by Jason Smith and Greg Folgia added another run. Later in the second, there were two outs when Frawley slugged a three-run homer and Abraham's solo shot made it back-to-back home runs. After just two innings of play, Lake County found themselves with a sizeable 7-1 advantage.

As the game cruised along, the weather steadily worsened. The rain returned in the top of the fifth and continued to come down off-and-on over the middle innings while lightning periodically brightened up the night sky. The two clubs traded runs in the fifth inning before the Whitecaps pulled even with a six-run rally in the sixth, marking the beginning of what turned into a remarkable comeback win.

The Whitecaps play game two of a three-game series at Classic Park in Lake County with a 7:00 p.m. contest on Thursday night. After the Detroit Tigers' trade of LHP Giovanni Soto to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, it is unknown who will start for the Whitecaps against Midwest League ERA-leader Matt Packer (8-5, 1.62) of the Captains. The 'Caps will return to Fifth Third Ballpark to start a seven-game homestand with a 7:00 p.m. start against the Dayton Dragons on Saturday, July 31, featuring post-game fireworks presented by Farm Bureau Insurance. Season, group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting whitecapsbaseball.com.

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Midwest League Stories from July 28, 2010


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