Sluggish Devil Rays offense shines against Whitecaps
May 25, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
BATTLE CREEK, MI - Southwest Michigan came into Thursday's series opener against the Whitecaps with a .217 team batting average, which was the lowest in the Midwest League. However, the Devil Rays put up 11 hits against the Whitecaps in a 5-4 victory in Battle Creek.
West Michigan rallied from a 4-run deficit for the first time this season with four runs in the sixth inning. Mike Hollimon, Dusty Ryan and Cory Middleton had consecutive one-out RBI hits to pull the Whitecaps within a run. Will Rhymes then grounded out to third and drove in the tying run as the score was evened, 4-4.
The Whitecaps had no hits through four innings and just one hit through five, but racked up four hits in the final one-third of an inning on the mound for Devil Rays starter Mike Wlodarczyk, who earned a no-decision.
When the Whitecaps scored in the sixth, it ended a streak of 49 consecutive innings pitched for Wlodarczyk without an earned run allowed.
Reliever Kevin Lynn threw the next 1.2 innings and earned the win as Southwest Michigan took the lead on an RBI double by Matt Spring in the seventh inning. The double came off reliever Anthony Claggett, but Matt Devins who scored the winning run reached base on a lead-off single by Jake Baxter. It was the only run allowed by Baxter, who took the loss.
Below are the expected pitching match ups for the series against the Devil Rays:
(West Michigan vs. Southwest Michigan)
Friday, 7:05 p.m.
LHP Erik Averill (2-3, 4.57) vs. LHP Jake McGee (4-5, 2.77)
Saturday, 6:35 p.m.
RHP Burke Badenhop (4-1, 3.70) vs. RHP Wade Davis (3-1, 0.94)
Sunday, 3:35 p.m.
LHP Luke French (4-3, 3.57) vs. RHP Greg Reinhard (0-4, 5.21)
The Whitecaps Pre Game Show begins at 6:55 p.m. Friday on 1340 AM WBBL, the Whitecaps Radio Network and at wbbl.com.
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