New Friends, Familiar Faces Help 'Caps Rally, 7-5
Published on April 17, 2024 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
MIDLAND, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a big night from one of their newest players and another from a familiar returnee as part of a 7-5, come-from-behind win over the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond on Wednesday night.
The night began with the first of four hits for outfielder Cole Turney - the first four-hit performance for West Michigan this year - with a solo home run en route to finishing just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. While Turney enjoys his first season with the Whitecaps; Austin Murr, who joined the 'Caps in 2021, collected a single, double, and pair of walks in his 2024 West Michigan debut.
The Whitecaps built a 4-1 lead with consistent offense throughout their first seven innings at the plate. Turney's big night began with a bang as the outfielder blasted his first Whitecaps homer on an opposite-field shot to take a 1-0 lead. Later in the frame, Murr ripped a run-scoring double to extend the lead to 2-0. Kyle Nevin's solo homer in the fourth sliced the 'Caps advantage to 2-1, but Izaac Pacheco's double plated Turney to bring West Michigan's lead to 3-1. In the seventh, Turney's two-out single scored a run to increase the 'Caps' edge to 4-1, but the Loons rallied with four to take the lead in the bottom of the frame. A run-scoring single by Luis Rodriguez preceded a game-tying two-run double from Sam Mongelli to even the score before he crossed the plate on a fielder's choice later in the frame to give the Loons a 5-4 lead. In the eighth, Seth Stephenson tied the game at five with a two-out single, and in the ninth, a bases-loaded walk to Danny Serretti with an Austin Murr sacrifice fly put West Michigan back in front, 7-5, to conclude the scoring.
'Caps reliever Cleiverth Perez (1-0) also made his Whitecaps debut, tossing 1.2 scoreless frames in picking up his first win with the team, while Livan Reinoso (0-1) allowed a pair of unearned runs in suffering his first Great Lakes loss of the year. Righty Matt Merrill tossed a perfect ninth inning to record his first save the club. The Whitecaps record jumps to 5-6, while the Loons fall to 6-5. Turney and Murr each reached base four times in a pair of outstanding performances to lead the 'Caps to victory.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons from Dow Diamond on Thursday at 6:05 pm. Righty Jaden Hamm takes the mound for West Michigan against the Loons Jackson Ferris. Tune into radio broadcast coverage with Nate Wangler on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 5:50 pm on 106.1 FM 'The Ticket,' and 1340 WJRW-AM. Get your tickets for all 2024 home games now, or listen to games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.
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