COMSTOCK PARK, MI – Great Lakes Loons outfielder Andy Pages delivered two huge swings as the Loons piled on six runs in the ninth to rally past the West Michigan Whitecaps 10-7 in front of 4,942 fans in the LMCU Ballpark regular season finale on Sunday afternoon.
Pages blasted two home runs accounting for four RBIs and extending his home run streak to three straight games. Pages is the first player in High-A Central history to hit 30 homers in a season. The 20-year old outfielder became the only player in Minor League Baseball to eclipse 30 home runs for the same team.
Gage Workman scored Austin Murr on a sacrifice fly to put the ‘Caps up 1-0 in the first inning. Whitecaps starter Zac Shepherd wielded four scoreless innings before the Loons struck for two runs in the fifth – highlighted by an RBI-double from Leonel Valera – putting Great Lakes in front 2-1. Pages blasted his first long ball in the top half of the sixth before the ‘Caps plated a pair of runs in the bottom half to tie the game at 3-3.
Both teams combined for five runs in the eighth as Ryan Ward roped an RBI double before West Michigan responded with four in the bottom of the eighth – featuring a three-run homer from Gage Workman – delivering the ‘Caps a 7-4 lead. The Loons rallied for six runs in the top of the ninth as January smoked a solo home run before Pages added a three-run bomb to help forge Great Lakes back in front 10-7. The Whitecaps brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth but could not capitalize, falling to the Loons 10-7.
Loons closer Braidyn Fink (2-4) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in his second win as Sandel De La Cruz (1-3) allowed four runs through just 0.2 frames, suffering his third loss this season. The Loons improve to 62-52 as the Whitecaps fall to 56-58. The Whitecaps need to split the six-game road series against the Lansing Lugnuts to reach 2,000 franchise victories.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play their final series of the 2021 regular season as they visit the Lansing Lugnuts to begin a six-game set starting on Tuesday at 7:05 pm. West Michigan sends lefty Jack O’Loughlin to the mound against a Lugnuts team that has split their first 18 games against the ‘Caps this season. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm.Get your tickets for all 2022 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
