Hill Too Tall for Captains
April 28, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed outstanding pitching from starter Garrett Hill and clutch hitting as part of a 5-0 victory over the Lake County Captains Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Ballpark.
The shutout represents the 'Caps first in 2019 and enabled West Michigan to earn a split of their four-game series against the Captains.
West Michigan put two runners on base in the first inning due to two walks from Lake County starter Juan Mota. Nick Ames followed with a single, but Johnny Valente was thrown out at home plate attempting to score.
Meanwhile, Hill was brilliant for West Michigan, allowing only three hits and striking out three through the first five innings. The "Caps broke a scoreless tie with an RBI-single by Wenceel Perez in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to take a 3-0 lead. Run-scoring singles from Reece Hampton and Avery Tuck in the eighth inning off Captains reliever Thomas Ponticelli extended the "Caps advantage to 5-0. Reliever Sandel De La Cruz gave the "Caps excellent production out of the bullpen, working three innings, giving up two singles and striking out three. In his longest outing of the season, De La Cruz retired eight of the last nine Captains batters he faced.
Hill (1-0), who has not allowed an earned run in 19 consecutive innings to start the season, picked up his first win for the Whitecaps. The 23-year-old struck out seven and scattered three hits without issuing a walk. De La Cruz earned his first save of 2019. Mota (0-4) took the loss despite recording a career-high nine strikeouts. Mota gave up one run, five hits, and four walks. Hampton, Ames, and Perez each collected two hits as the Whitecaps outhit the Captains nine to five. West Michigan improves to 10-12 with the victory while Lake County falls to 14-9 on the year.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps hit the road for a six-game road trip beginning with a three-game set against the Clinton LumberKings on Tuesday at 7:30 pm. Pitcher Gio Arriera starts on the mound against Clinton's Humberto Mejia. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 7:20 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 April 28, 2019
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