Whitecaps Walked off by Lansing in 7-6 Loss
MWL West Michigan Whitecaps

Whitecaps Walked off by Lansing in 7-6 Loss

Published on May 30, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


LANSING, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps let a late lead slip away, as Dylan Fien's game-winning two-run homer completed a comeback from a five-run deficit as part of a 7-6 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts in front of 6,515 fans at Jackson Field.

With the potential winning run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Fien turned around a 92-mph fastball with a long home run into the Lansing sky to give the Lugnuts the victory. In their last 31 games, the Whitecaps are 4-27 but have held the lead in 24 of those contests, while being tied or leading in 23.

The Whitecaps jumped on Lugnuts starter Tzu-Chen Sha early and often when Detroit Tigers No. 2 Prospect Bryce Rainer delivered a 432-foot two-run double that caromed high off the extended wall in deep right-center field to score Ricardo Hurtado and Garrett Pennington to give the 'Caps a 2-0 lead. After a Jackson Strong sacrifice fly in the first, Pennington delivered two more runs with a two-run two-bagger of his own to give West Michigan a 5-0 lead. In the third, a Rodney Green Jr. home run, his sixth of the season, put the 'Nuts on the board to bring the 'Caps edge to 5-1. After Lansing plated a run with a Nate Nankil RBI Single in the sixth, the 'Caps answered with a run of their own in the seventh when Jackson Strong drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the West Michigan lead to 6-2. In the eighth, the Lugnuts began to break through against new Whitecaps reliever Juanmi Vasquez, acquired by the Tigers in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the week, scoring two in an inning highlighted by a run-scoring single by Ben Newton to cut the 'Caps lead in half and bring the score to 6-4 before Vasquez struck out Myles Naylor to end the threat. In the ninth, the Lugnuts posted their dramatic comeback against Whitecaps reliever Jalen Evans, beginning with a run-scoring single by Devin Taylor before Fien's no-doubt home run completed the Lugnuts five-run comeback as the 'Caps were sent to a tough 7-6 loss.

The Whitecaps drop to 16-34, while the Lugnuts jump to 22-28. Lansing reliever Ryan Brown (4-2) picks up his fourth win after dealing two innings of scoreless baseball, while Evans (2-1) takes his first loss of the year. Lugnuts pitchers were outstanding after giving up five runs over the first two frames, allowing just one run in the final seven innings on just two base hits. With the defeat, the Whitecaps missed a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since April 18-19 when West Michigan completed a six-game sweep of the Lugnuts in Lansing.

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps play the finale of this six-game series at Jackson Field against the Lansing Lugnuts with a Sunday matinee scheduled for 1:05pm. Lefty Gabriel Reyes gets the start for West Michigan against the Lugnuts Nathan Dettmer. Broadcast coverage with Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 12:50pm 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

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



Midwest League Stories from May 30, 2026


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