'Caps Split Doubleheader, Take Series in Fort Wayne

Sports stats



West Michigan Whitecaps

'Caps Split Doubleheader, Take Series in Fort Wayne

August 3, 2024 - Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


FORT WAYNE, IN - Kevin McGonigle's first home run at the High-A level highlighted the West Michigan Whitecaps 3-2 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps, helping them split a doubleheader after a 5-2 defeat in the opener in front of 7,825 fans at Parkview Field.

McGonigle, 19, enjoyed a titanic shot for his first Whitecaps homer, measuring at 437 feet and nearly 112 mph off the bat to give West Michigan enough offense to take their fourth win of the five games played between the two teams in this series. The 'Caps can leave Fort Wayne winning five of six with a victory over the TinCaps on Sunday.

The first game saw West Michigan fall behind early and never recover as the TinCaps enjoyed an RBI-Triple from Nerwillian Cedeno to highlight a three-run second inning. In the sixth, Joshua Mears and Cedeno went back-to-back with solo home runs, marking the first time West Michigan has surrendered consecutive homers since July 28, 2023, when Graham Pauley and Carlos Luis went back-to-back at LMCU Ballpark.

In the nightcap, the TinCaps struck first on a Kai Murphy solo home run before a wild pitch from Fort Wayne starter Isaiah Lowe in the second helped tie the game at one. In the third, McGonigle launched his fifth home run of 2024 and first with West Michigan. After Romeo Sanabria lifted a solo home run against 'Caps starter Jaden Hamm in the fourth, Hamm powered through five innings before handing a one-run lead to the bullpen. Marco Jimenez and Tanner Kohlhepp secured the final six outs to ensure the split and guarantee West Michigan the series win.

The Whitecaps record maneuvers to 19-15 in the second half and 50-50 on the season, while the TinCaps new record stands at 12-23 in the second half and 41-61 overall. The Whitecaps Joe Miller (2-3) gave up five runs in 5.2 innings in suffering his first loss in game one before Hamm (5-3) got the win in game two with five innings of two-run baseball. Fort Wayne reliever Joan Gonzalez (3-1) gets his third win in the opener, while Lowe (0-1) gets the loss in the nightcap in his Midwest League debut. Bragley Rodriguez (1) and Tanner Kohlhepp (5) earn the saves for Fort Wayne and West Michigan respectively. Outfielder Max Clark reached base three times in the opener, extending his hitting streak to nine games, and setting a Whitecaps 2024 season high.

UP NEXT

After the doubleheader, the Whitecaps wrap up this six-game series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps with a Sunday matinee at 1:05 pm. Pitchers Carlos Marcano and Fernando Sanchez get the starts for West Michigan and Fort Wayne. Tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network 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 your tickets for all 2024 home contests, or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.

Check out the West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Midwest League message board...

Midwest League Stories from August 3, 2024


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.

Other Recent West Michigan Whitecaps Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central