Captains' 2025 Season Concludes with 4-0 Loss to Whitecaps
MWL Lake County Captains

Captains' 2025 Season Concludes with 4-0 Loss to Whitecaps

Published on September 11, 2025 under Midwest League (MWL)
Lake County Captains News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. - In Game 2 of the 2025 Midwest League East Division Championship Series, the Lake County Captains (74-58) (0-2) fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps (92-39) (2-0) by a final score of 4-0 on Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan.

With the defeat, Lake County's 2025 season comes to an end with a 2-0 series loss to West Michigan.

A four-run bottom of the fourth inning ultimately proved to be the difference for the Whitecaps, who advanced to the Midwest League Championship Series for the first time since 2015.

After tossing three scoreless frames to begin his outing, LHP Caden Favors (L, 0-1) surrendered a leadoff triple to West Michigan RF Brett Callahan to begin the home half of the fourth inning. 1B Garrett Pennington then drove the game's first run with an RBI single in the next at-bat. Following a groundout from LF Austin Murr, SS Jack Penney singled and C Bennett Lee hit a two-run double to extend West Michigan's lead to 3-0.

Favors then exited the game, and his bequeathed runner in Lee eventually scored on an RBI single from CF Woody Hadeen, which was on the first pitch in relief from LHP Rafe Schlesinger. Favors ultimately allowed four runs on six hits, throwing four strikeouts to three walks in 3.1 innings pitched.

Schlesinger turned in a strong bullpen outing for the Captains, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings of long relief. Despite issuing a pro career-high six walks, the left-hander threw five strikeouts and gave up just three hits in 78 pitches (41 strikes). RHP Jay Driver then retired his lone batter faced on just one pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning, inducing a flyout from West Michigan DH Andrew Jenkins.

Offensively, Lake County was held to just two hits and just six baserunners in the contest.

Whitecaps RHP Hayden Minton (1-0) held the Captains hitless in six scoreless innings of work, throwing five strikeouts. The right-hander retired 18 of 20 batters faced, including a perfect first time through the order. His only two baserunners of the night reached in the top of the fourth inning on a leadoff hit-by-pitch from LF Nick Mitchell and a two-out walk from CF Jaison Chourio, MLB Pipeline 's No. 6 Guardians prospect.

DH Ryan Cesarini eventually recorded Lake County's first hit of the ballgame with a single on the first pitch of the seventh inning. Following a scoreless seventh frame from West Michigan RHP Dariel Fregio, Whitecaps RHP Carlos Lequerica worked an immaculate eighth inning of relief.

Lake County made one last comeback push in the top of the ninth inning when Mitchell hit a leadoff infield single off West Michigan RHP Moises Rodriguez. Mitchell, however, slipped and fell after making a wide turn around first base, and was tagged out on a throw back to the first base bag by Whitecaps 3B Izaac Pacheco, MLB Pipeline 's No. 21 Tigers prospect.

Following a groundout from RF Esteban González, Cesarini kept the game alive with a two-out walk. But Chourio grounded into a game-ending force out, which also brought the Captains' 2025 campaign to an end.

The Captains will begin their 2026 season with a three-game weekend home series versus the West Michigan Whitecaps. First pitch for the series-opener is scheduled for Friday, April 3 from Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake at a time to be determined. The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, MiLB.com, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

Notes to Know

- Including the playoffs, OF Nick Mitchell ended his 2025 season on a 17-game on-base streak with a hit-by-pitch and a single on Thursday night. The 22-year-old batted .571 (4-for-7) with an RBI, a walk, a stolen base, a .667 on-base percentage, and a 1.238 OPS during the 2025 Midwest League Playoffs.

- LHP Rafe Schlesinger threw five strikeouts in 4.1 scoreless innings of relief on Thursday night. The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Miami (FL) totaled 29 strikeouts in 24.1 innings of work for Lake County across the 2025 regular season and postseason.

Check out the Lake County Captains Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from September 11, 2025


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