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MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Loons Fireworks Snap Whitecaps Win Streak at Four

July 5, 2015 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI- The West Michigan Whitecaps offense was stifled by the knuckleballing Matt Shelton, and two sixth inning home runs ultimately provided the winning margin for the Great Lakes Loons Sunday afternoon in a 9-1 decision at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Mike Ahmed drilled his second round-tripper of the 2015 campaign, wrapping his shot around the left-field foul pole off of reliever Josh Heddinger with one out in the top of the sixth. Kyle Garlick then followed suit in unconventional fashion, as outfielders Rashad Brown and Derek Hill collided on a towering shot hit into left-center field. Garlick then circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run, his first for the Loons this year and the first inside-the-parker at West Michigan since Joey Pankake did the same for the Whitecaps back on May 13 vs. Bowling Green. Great Lakes then poured it on with a six-pack of runs in the eighth, keyed by a two-run triple from Garlick to cap off a three-RBI day for the Loons left-fielder.

Shelton (1-0) worked impressively in just his second start since incorporating the knuckler into his repertoire, allowing just a single run on two hits during a masterful eight-inning performance that included seven strikeouts and two walks. The right-hander advanced as far as AAA Oklahoma City in the Dodgers minor league system this season, before being reassigned to Great Lakes on June 25. Whitecaps starter Jeff Thompson did not factor in the decision, but yielded only an unearned run in the first on his own error. The team's leader in strikeouts added five over five frames to push his season total to 65 through 65.2 innings on the year. With the loss, the Whitecaps fall to 7-4 in the second half, 40-40 overall, while the Loons improve to 4-7 (42-37).

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps welcome in the Lake County Captains on Monday night for the first of two games, starting at 7:00pm. Pitcher Fernando Perez starts for the Whitecaps against Jordan Milbrath for the Captains, as West Michigan continues a stretch of 14 out of 18 games at Fifth Third Ballpark. Radio coverage with Dan Hasty and Ryan Schuiling begins at 6:50p.m. on the Whitecaps Baseball Network. A reminder that season, group and individual tickets can be reserved for any 2015 home game by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

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