MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Whitecaps Deliver No. 200 for DePastino

Published on August 11, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


BOWLING GREEN, KY - The West Michigan Whitecaps continued their winning ways with a season-high seventh straight victory on Wednesday night, delivering manager Joe DePastino his 200th career win with a 5-3 victory over the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Bowling Green Ballpark.

West Michigan (21-24, 47-67) has won 12 of their last 15 games overall and eight in a row on the road, while Bowling Green (20-25, 51-63) fell for the eighth time in their last 12 games. It was the opener of a three-game set riddled with playoff implications as the two clubs entered play tied and one game behind Lansing - who also won on Wednesday - in the race for the Eastern Division's second-half Wild Card spot.

The victory improved DePastino to 200-191 (.512) in his third season at the helm for West Michigan. He becomes just the third skipper in Whitecaps history to reach the 200-win mark, joining the likes of Bruce Fields, who collected 331 wins from 1997-2000, and Matt Walbeck, who won 231 games from 2004-2006.

The Hot Rods struck in the bottom of the first thanks to a long solo homer by Brett Nommensen that banged off the scoreboard in right field for a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third, the Whitecaps answered.

Jeff Rowland sparked the rally with a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a one-out single by Luis Alberto Sanz. Jamie Johnson followed with the game-tying blow, lining a double to right-center that plated Rowland and moved Sanz to third. After Michael Rockett's run-scoring groundout pushed across Sanz for the go-ahead score, Corey Jones smacked a run-scoring double to center for a 3-1 advantage.

In the sixth, West Michigan added another run. A pair of singles combined with a hit batsman to load the bases with one out for leadoff man Jamie Johnson. Johnson, among the league leaders in walks and on-base percentage, coaxed a free pass to force in a run. Though Rockett bounced into an inning-ending double play on the very next pitch, the Whitecaps lead increased to 4-1.

Bowling Green did not go down without a fight, making things interesting with single runs in the seventh and eighth to pull to within 4-3.

The Hot Rods continued their eighth-inning threat by loading the bases, placing the potential game-tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with two outs. Reliever Kenny Faulk responded by striking out Thomas Francisco to leave all three runners stranded and retain a one-run lead heading into the ninth inning.

Following a pair of two-out walks in the top of the ninth, Tony Plagman pulled a run-scoring double inside the first base line to provide the final 5-3 cushion.

Victor Larez (7-9) earned the win with six solid innings, bouncing back from the first-inning homer to retire 12 of the next 13 batters that he faced. The 23-year-old from Venezuela limited the Hot Rods to one run on four hits while fanning two and walking one. At the back end, Faulk (7) notched a four-out save after pitching out of trouble in the eighth and working around a two-out walk in the ninth

Aaron Dott (2-4) suffered the loss for Bowling Green, charged with three runs on four hits over four innings in the start.

The Whitecaps continue a seven-game road trip with game two of a three-game series in Bowling Green at 7:35 p.m. ET on Thursday night. RHP Luis Angel Sanz (1-5, 6.16) is scheduled to take the hill for West Michigan against LHP Kyle Lobstein (7-5, 4.44) of the Hot Rods. The Whitecaps will be back at Fifth Third Ballpark on Friday, August 14, for a seven-day homestand that starts with a 7:00 p.m. game against the South Bend Silver Hawks. The first 1,000 kids ages 14-and-under will receive capes on Superhero Night presented by Charter Communications, and the evening will culminate with a tremendous fireworks display thanks to Farm Bureau Insurance. Group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting whitecapsbaseball.com.

Check out the West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from August 11, 2010


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