Whitecaps Fall to Cubs in Series Opener
August 24, 2015 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps struggled to get a timely hit as they fell to the South Bend Cubs by the score of 4-2 Monday night at Fifth Third Ballpark.
The Whitecaps opened the scoring in the first inning when A.J. Simcox stole home as part of a double-steal, and Joey Pankake delivered an RBI-single to give West Michigan a 2-0 lead. An inning later, Ross Seaton allowed two South Bend runs to tie the ballgame. The 'Caps looked primed to break the tie in the fifth, when Simcox reached on an infield single and Mike Gerber lifted a double when Cubs right-fielder Jeffrey Baez lost the baseball in the evening sky to move Simcox to third base with no one out. South Bend starter Erick Leal then buckled down to strikeout the middle of West Michigan's order, as Kade Scivicque, Christin Stewart, and Pankake were set down in-order to end the threat. Kevin Encarnacion gave the Cubs the lead in the ensuing inning with an RBI-single, and scored when Whitecaps outfielder Victor Padron dropped a fly ball in right field to give South Bend a 4-2 lead. West Michigan again brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth, but Gerber struck out, and Scivicque popped out to end the contest. The Whitecaps left 11 runners on base, and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Ross Seaton (10-7) allowed four runs in six innings while taking his seventh loss of 2015, while Leal (9-8) struck out seven batters in five innings to earn his ninth win of the season. Michael Wagner pitched the final three innings without allowing a run to record his first save of the year. The Whitecaps fall to 33-23 in the second half and 66-59 overall. South Bend's second half mark improves to 29-27, with a 58-65 record on the year. Simcox led the Whitecaps with two hits, a run scored and two stolen bases in the contest. West Michigan's lead over Lake County and South Bend has been cut to four games in the race for the Eastern Division wildcard.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this series against the South Bend Cubs Tuesday night at 7pm. Artie Lewicki gets the starting nod for West Michigan against Trevor Clifton for South Bend. If you can't make it to the ballpark, broadcast coverage begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50pm. A reminder that season, group and individual tickets can be reserved for any 2015 home game by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
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