MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

McVaney Ends Slugfest with Walk-off Bomb

Published on August 21, 2012 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - A home run derby broke out late on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Ballpark - and Jeff McVaney was proclaimed the winner.

The eighth-round pick in the 2012 draft ended a back-and-forth affair with a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, slugging the West Michigan Whitecaps to a 6-5 win over the Great Lakes Loons.

West Michigan (29-28, 65-62) won for the fourth time in their last five games as they continued their fight for a berth in the post-season. With just 13 games remaining, the 'Caps are one of four teams within three games of each other in pursuit of the Eastern Division's two second-half playoff spots.

Tuesday's victory also clinched a series win for the Whitecaps, who won three out of four games from Great Lakes (24-33, 58-69) to finish the season-series with a 12-7 advantage over their in-state rival. The contest was played in front of 7,684 well-fed fans that devoured 12,786 hot dogs on the third and final Dime Dog Night of the season at Fifth Third Ballpark.

The contest was even at 3-3 after six innings of play.

Nick Akins broke the tie with a long solo homer for Great Lakes, leading off the top of the seventh with a mammoth blast to left that banged high off the manual scoreboard.

In the bottom of the frame, Aaron Westlake had the answer. Despite being hobbled by an injured right foot, the 23-year-old out of Vanderbilt capped a 2-for-4, two-RBI night by blasting a two-out solo bomb to center that tied the score at 4-4.

Things looked bleak when the 'Caps squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the eighth and the Loons' Tyler Ogle homered in the top of the ninth to put Great Lakes ahead, 5-4.

Once again, however, West Michigan had an answer.

Westlake came up again with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Great Lakes wanted no part of the dangerous slugger. Reliever Matt Shelton appeared to pitch around him, throwing four straight balls and putting the potential game-tying run on base.

That brought McVaney to the plate with a chance to play the role of hero. The Texas State product did just that, taking a 1-1 pitch and lifting a towering walk-off shot over the left field fence as the ballpark exploded in celebration of the 6-5 victory.

That finished a 3-for-5 night for McVaney, who combined with Westlake to form a devastating one-two punch. The third and fourth hitters in the lineup combined to go 5-for-9 with two clutch home runs and four of the Whitecaps' five RBI on Tuesday.

Will Clinard (1-1) earned the win with two innings of relief while Shelton (2-5) was dealt the loss.

With just six home games remaining in the regular season, the Whitecaps continue their homestand at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night with the opener of a three-game series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. RHP Marcelo Carreno (7-8, 3.43) is scheduled to take the hill for West Michigan against RHP Ruben Mejia (2-6, 4.48) of Fort Wayne in a ballgame featuring entertainment from Myron Noodleman and post-game fireworks. Group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

Check out the West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from August 21, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central