MWL West Michigan Whitecaps

Pacheco's Blast Sinks Captains, 4-1

Published on May 23, 2024 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


EASTLAKE, OH - On a night the West Michigan Whitecaps unexpectedly lost the services of one of the Midwest League's best pitchers, the team came together to provide one of its gutsiest wins of the season as Izaac Pacheco provided a tiebreaking three-run homer in the ninth inning as part of a 4-1 win over the Lake County Captains on Thursday night at Classic Park.

Whitecaps starting pitcher Jaden Hamm, who entered the contest with the lowest ERA in the Midwest League, ran into pitch count limits and finished the night only throwing one inning in the ballgame, forcing the 'Caps bullpen to use a total of five relievers in Chris Mauloni, Tanner Kohlhepp, Cleiverth Perez, Max Alba, and Matt Merrill, to pitch the remaining eight frames.

Pacheco, a Detroit Tigers Top-30 Prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, stepped to the plate in a 1-1 tie and launched an 0-2 pitch onto the right field berm for his second home run of the season. The win marks the second time the Whitecaps won a game when trailing after eight innings this season and the first since a 13-11 victory at Dayton on May 1.

The game progressed as a pitcher's duel, as Captains starter Austin Peterson tossed 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball, while the Whitecaps bullpen kept them in the contest, going eight frames and only surrendering one score on a Jake Fox RBI-groundout in the fifth. The ninth inning began with a leadoff single by Luis Santana and continued with Luke Gold being hit by a pitch from Lake County reliever Magnus Ellerts. Roberto Campos tied the game with an RBI-single - his eighth hit through three games of the series - to even the score at one. Later in the frame, Pacheco's homer propelled West Michigan to one of its biggest comeback wins of the 2024 season.

The Whitecaps jump to 22-20 while the Captains fall into second place in the Midwest League Eastern Division, moving to 23-19. Merrill (3-0) tossed the final two innings to notch his third win, while Ellerts (1-2) picked up his second loss. The 'Caps remain two games out of first place after Great Lakes defeated Beloit but just one game behind Lake County for second place and can guarantee a road series split with a win on Friday night.

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps move this six-game series against the Lake County Captains to a Friday night matchup beginning at 6:35 pm. Righty Dylan Smith gets the start for West Michigan against Lake County lefty Parker Messick. To catch all the action, tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm on 106.1 FM ' The Ticket ' and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Don't miss out on the excitement; get your tickets for all 2024 home contests or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.

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Midwest League Stories from May 23, 2024


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