Peck, Pacheco Go Deep in 5-2 Win
July 18, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
LANSING, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps returned from their extended layoff, but little had changed as they continued their winning ways in a 5-2 win over the Lansing Lugnuts in front of 7,661 fans Friday night at Jackson Field.
The Whitecaps enjoyed a fine performance from their pitching staff, while infielder John Peck, celebrating his 23rd birthday, laced an opposite-field line drive that just scraped over the right field wall in the eighth for his eighth home run - the most among active Whitecaps players, to help the Whitecaps take the first game of this three-game series.
The Whitecaps grabbed an early lead in the first when Garrett Pennington laced a run-scoring double over the head of Lansing center fielder Ryan Lasko to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, Lansing took the lead when Tommy White, a participant in last week's 2025 MLB Futures Game, collected a two-run double to give the Lugnuts a 2-1 lead. The score tipped back in West Michigan's favor in the third when Izaac Pacheco crushed a tape-measure two-run home run to right-center field, estimated at 414 feet to give West Michigan a 3-2 lead. The contest soldiered through the middle innings thanks to Whitecaps starter Joe Miller (6-2) who settled in after a bumpy first inning to toss five frames allowing just two runs on five hits before giving way to an outstanding performance from the bullpen. In the seventh, center fielder Seth Stephenson blooped an RBI-single to give the 'Caps an insurance run and 4-2 lead. In the next frame Peck collected his home run to extend the Whitecaps lead to 5-2. Meanwhile, the relief trio of Carlos Lequerica, Dariel Fregio, and Micah Ashman combined to allow just one hit in four innings while striking out five to close out the victory in the first game of this three-game weekend series.
The Whitecaps fall to 14-8 in the second half and 58-29 overall, while the Lugnuts fall to 11-11 in the second half and 47-41 on the season. Miller (6-2) collects his sixth win of the season after tossing five innings and allowing just two runs, while Lugnuts reliever Jake Christenson (3-1) takes his first loss of the year. Ashman's scoreless ninth notches him his fourth save of the season. Pacheco's homer on Friday gives him 29 in his Whitecaps career and is now five home runs short of tying former infielder Rey Rivera (34) for the all-time franchise record.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue their abbreviated weekend series against the Lansing Lugnuts from Jackson Field on Saturday at 7:05 pm. Both Preston Howey and Max Alba are expected to pitch for West Michigan against the Lugnuts Grant Judkins. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 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.
Midwest League Stories from July 18, 2025
- Captains Shut down Bullpen Anchors, 4-2, Win Over TinCaps - Lake County Captains
- Kyle Hess the Hero, Kernels Walk-Off Timber Rattlers 5-4 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Savacool Sinks River Bandits in Series Opener - Peoria Chiefs
- Rattlers Drop Ten-Inning Decision at Cedar Rapids - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Butterworth Continues to Thrive at the Plate in Loss - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Loons Hold off Dragons Comeback Effort, Top Dayton 5-4 - Dayton Dragons
- Bullpen Shines in Bandits' Loss to Chiefs - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Peck, Pacheco Go Deep in 5-2 Win - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Sky Carp Return to Play with 1-0 Victory - Beloit Sky Carp
- Sky Carp Shut out Cubs in Rare 1-0 Game - South Bend Cubs
- Whitecaps Overcome White, Nuts, 5-2 - Lansing Lugnuts
- TinCaps Transactions & Game Information: July 18 at Lake County Captains (Guardians Affiliate) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: July 18-20 - South Bend Cubs
- Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Friday (7:05 vs. Great Lakes) - Dayton Dragons
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.
