MWL West Michigan Whitecaps

Lipcius Homers in 4-1 Loss

Published on May 13, 2021 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps struggled to find offense as the Great Lakes Loons pitching staff shined in downing the Whitecaps 4-1 Thursday night in front of a 2,000-fan sellout crowd at LMCU Ballpark.

The Whitecaps had runners in scoring position in seven out of nine innings tonight but were only able to push one run across as the Tigers 2019 third-round pick Andre Lipcius smoked a solo home run in the defeat.

Great Lakes jumped all over the 'Caps early, plating three runs through the first inning - highlighted by a two-run double by Ryan Ward to take an early 3-0 advantage. The Whitecaps threatened to score in both the bottom of the first and second frames, advancing men to second and third base in back-to-back innings but were unable to get on the scoreboard as the Loons notched another tally in the third to extend their lead to 4-0. Despite the poor offensive performance, the Whitecaps bullpen shined as Sandel De La Cruz, Sam Kessler, and Chavez Fernander tossed six innings of shutout baseball with six strikeouts . Meanwhile, the Whitecaps offense advanced men into scoring position in each of the last five innings but were able to add only one lone run - the Lipcius solo fly - as the Loons escaped with a 4-1 victory.

Great Lakes reliever Austin Drury (1-0) picked up his first win of the 2021 campaign allowing no runs on three hits and six strikeouts through 3.2 innings of work. Whitecaps starter Chance Kirby (0-1) allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits and just one strikeout in his first defeat this season. The Loons improve to 3-6 while the Whitecaps fall to 3-5. Lipcius, who only homered twice in 2019, notched his second on the season while increasing his batting average to a staggering .385 with a .452 on-base percentage in leading the offense with a 3-for-4 performance.

The loss marks the Whitecaps' 100th loss against the Great Lakes Loons in franchise history. After Thursday's defeat, West Michigan now owns a career record of 122-100 in regular season matchups, along with a 2-1 series advantage in the postseason against the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate.

UP NEXT

This six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons revives Friday at 6:35 pm. The Whitecaps start righty Beau Brieske to against Loons pitcher Jose Martinez for Great Lakes. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm. A limited number of tickets are available for select Whitecaps 2021 home contests by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

Check out the West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics

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