Whitecaps Suffer Second Straight Walk-Off in 4-3 Loss
MWL West Michigan Whitecaps

Whitecaps Suffer Second Straight Walk-Off in 4-3 Loss

Published on April 29, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - For the second straight day, the West Michigan Whitecaps were foiled by a walk-off home run, this time by pinch hitter Jay Thomason, as part of a 4-3 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Wednesday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The loss marks the fourth straight for West Michigan and the longest losing skid for the team since August of 2024, bringing them one game above the .500 mark. Meanwhile, Tigers No. 3 Prospect Bryce Rainer reached base in all four of his plate appearances with a single, double, two walks, and two runs scored, raising his batting average to .280 since he first joined the Whitecaps last week.

The Kernels jumped out to a 2-0 lead when they took advantage of the conditions, thanks to a wind-aided two-run double by Rayne Doncon to give Cedar Rapids the first runs of the ballgame in the fourth inning. In the sixth, the Kernels Khadim Diaw collected his third of four base hits of the day with a run-scoring single to extend the Cedar Rapids lead to 3-0. In the seventh, the 'Caps rallied for two runs when Bryce Rainer scored on an RBI-single by Clayton Campbell to put West Michigan on the board before a bloop RBI-double by Junior Tilien scored a second run to bring the score to 3-2, and the 'Caps clawed their way to tying the game in the ninth when Tilien beat out what would've been a game-ending double play, allowing Rainer to score and even the contest at three. In the bottom of the frame, Thomason launched a 2-2 pitch just over the right-center field wall for his second home run of the season to give the Kernels their second straight win in a most dramatic fashion.

The Whitecaps record falls to 12-11 in 2026, while the Kernels improve to 10-13. Kernels reliever Paulshawn Pasqualotto (1-0) got the final out of the ninth inning to pick up his second win, while Zack Lee (0-1) surrendered the walk-off homer in taking his first loss of the campaign. Infielder Clayton Campbell went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in the defeat.

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps and Kernels continue this six-game series with a Thursday night tilt beginning at 7:05pm. Righties Lucas Elissalt and Eli Jones are scheduled to get the starts for the 'Caps and Kernels, respectively. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50pm on 106.1 FM 'The Ticket', and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, or listen to all the action on whitecapsbaseball.com.

Check out the West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from April 29, 2026


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