Murr Carries 'Caps to 3-2 Win
MWL West Michigan Whitecaps

Murr Carries 'Caps to 3-2 Win

July 31, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - West Michigan Whitecaps outfielder Austin Murr delivered a triple in the bottom of the eighth inning before scoring on a sacrifice fly as the 'Caps bullpen shut down the Dayton Dragons in a 3-2 victory in front of 7,097 fans Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark.

Murr finished the ballgame 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Meanwhile, Whitecaps pitchers held Dayton to 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position while allowing just two walks in the narrow victory.

West Michigan struck first as Andrew Jenkins blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall in the first inning, putting the 'Caps in front 2-0. Dayton sliced the lead in half in the second as infielder Victor Acosta plated Jack Moss on an RBI single, 2-1. Neither team could generate any offense past the second inning, as Dayton put just three baserunners on through the seventh while the Whitecaps put just four runners on base. Dayton finally broke through in the eighth as outfielder Anthony Stephan added his second home run of the series, a solo blast, tying the game at two. West Michigan responded in the bottom half, as Murr added his triple before a sacrifice fly from Izaac Pacheco sent him home, inching in front of Dayton 3-2. Dayton couldn't rally in the ninth, as 'Caps closer Dariel Fregio set down the Dragons to secure his first save and send West Michigan to the 3-2 win.

The Whitecaps improve to 22-11 in the second half and 66-32 overall, while the Dragons fall to 10-20 in the second half and 31-64 overall. Whitecaps reliever Colin Fields (6-1) picks up his sixth win, allowing just one run through three innings pitched with four strikeouts as Fregio secures his first save. Meanwhile, Dragons reliever Jimmy Romano (1-4) suffers his fourth loss, allowing just one run through two innings of work. Jenkins enjoys his tenth home run of the year in the victory, becoming the first Whitecaps player since Josue Briceño to reach double-digit homers this year, and doubling the number of long balls he had in 2023 and 2024 combined. Meanwhile, West Michigan leads the Midwest League in home runs with 99 on the season.

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps and Dragons continue this six-game series from LMCU Ballpark on Friday beginning at 6:35 pm. Andrew Sears takes the mound for West Michigan against Dayton righty Brian Edgington. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm on 106.1 FM 'The Ticket', and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Catch all the action on the radio or listen to the game live at whitecapsbaseball.com.

PLAYOFF PLANS

The 'Caps will host a playoff game the second week of September, scheduled for Thursday, the 11th at 6:35 pm against the second-half Midwest League Eastern Division champion. Individual tickets will go on sale July 8 at 10:00 am on whitecapsbaseball.com.

Check out the West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics



Midwest League Stories from July 31, 2025


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