MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Harrell Drives in Four, 'Caps Avoid Sweep

Published on August 12, 2013 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - Connor Harrell was 2-for-4 with four RBI on Monday night, capping a comeback that included 10 unanswered runs as the West Michigan Whitecaps avoided a three-game sweep with a 10-4 win over the South Bend Silver Hawks at Fifth Third Ballpark.

After managing just one run through the first two games of the series, the West Michigan (24-24, 57-61) offense came alive with a 13-hit attack in which every starting position player contributed with at least one hit. The offensive barrage turned on early 4-0 lead for South Bend (31-20, 75-45) into a comfortable win for the Whitecaps.

One of the key plays came in the third inning with the Silver Hawks threatening to blow the game open early. Already down 3-0 with the bases loaded and nobody out, West Michigan starter Montreal Robertson was able to get a strikeout and an inning-ending double play to minimize the damage and keep the 'Caps in the game.

Down 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Whitecaps made their move.

Four of the first five batters in the inning singled safely, with Lance Durham and Jason King contributing run-scoring hits that cut the deficit in half. West Michigan caught a break when Harrell hit a ball towards third that could have turned into an inning-ending double play, but Brandon Drury could not field the ball cleanly as Harrell reached safely and Durham scored. Bennett Pickar followed with a bloop-single to right that plated King, capping the five-hit rally and tying the score at 4-4.

One inning later, Jared Reaves led off the fifth by lofting a solo homer down the left field line for a 5-4 advantage.

Thanks in part to their dominant bullpen, the 'Caps never looked back.

Josh Turley (6-3) earned the win with 2.1 frames of scoreless relief, highlighted by his ability to strand three inherited runners upon entering the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth. Guido Knudson and Angel Nesbitt each added a scoreless inning and the trio of relievers combined to retire 10 of the last 11 batters of the night.

The Whitecaps added plenty of insurance in the later innings, highlighted by another four-run rally in the seventh. Jeff Holm sliced an RBI-single to left and Harrell added a three-run triple down the first base line for a comfortable 9-4 lead. In the eighth, Dean Green singled home Raph Rhymes to reach the 10-4 final.

Rhymes was one of four Whitecaps to register a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. The streak, which includes all 12 of his games since joining the 'Caps, is the second-longest this season by a West Michigan player. Rhymes, a former NCAA batting champion out of Louisiana State University, is batting .417 in the Midwest League.

South Bend's Jesse Darrah (10-8) took the loss after being charged with five runs on eight hits over six innings.

The Whitecaps have Tuesday off before continuing their six-game homestand at Fifth Third Ballpark with a 7:00 p.m. game on Wednesday night against the Lansing Lugnuts. RHP Edgar De La Rosa (6-5, 6.01) is scheduled to pitch for West Michigan against RHP Ben White (7-6, 3.64) for Lansing. The first 1,000 fans in the ballpark will get a free lunch cooler courtesy of DTE Energy, the 2006 championship club will be honored, and Family Fare Fireworks will light up the sky after the game. Group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

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Midwest League Stories from August 12, 2013


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