LANSING, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps couldn’t find their offense when it mattered most as part of an 8-1 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts in front of 6,855 fans at Jackson Field on Thursday night.
The Whitecaps struggled with runners in scoring position, going just 1-for-9 at the plate. Lansing plated six of their eight runs with two-out base hits as part of the victory. The Whitecaps will have to win their final three games of the season to finish the season with a .500 record and two of their last three contests to win West Michigan’s 2,000th game in franchise history.
Lansing took the early lead as catcher Will Simoneit launched his tenth home run of the season – a solo shot and his third against West Michigan this year to give the Lugnuts a 1-0 lead. The ‘Caps tied the game as outfielder Austin Schultz drilled an RBI-single in his Whitecaps debut to knot the score at one. Lansing scored two more runs highlighted by a Drew Swift sacrifice fly in the third, and Wenceel Perez throwing error gave the Lugnuts a 3-1 lead. Meanwhile, West Michigan struggled with runners on base, leaving multiple baserunners stranded in the third and fifth innings before leaving the bases loaded in the sixth. An RBI-double by Jordan Diaz in the sixth before Patrick McColl’s run-scoring triple gave the Lugnuts the necessary insurance and a 6-1 lead. Diaz added a two-run shot in the eighth to conclude the scoring as well.
Brendan White (3-9) allowed three runs (two earned) in five innings of his final 2021 start for the ‘Caps this season in suffering his ninth loss with West Michigan, while David Leal (1-4) tossed five innings of one-run baseball to earn his first victory in at the High-A level. The Whitecaps record falls to 57-60 as the Lugnuts record improves to 55-61. Schultz and Gage Workman each reached base twice in a losing cause.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue the final series of the 2021 regular season against the Lansing Lugnuts on Friday at 7:05 pm. West Michigan sends lefty Adam Wolf to the mound against the Lugnuts. 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.
