EASTLAKE, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps pitched their first one-hitter in nearly a year as part of a doubleheader split on Saturday at Classic Park, losing by a score of 5-3 in the opener before picking up a 7-0 shutout in the nightcap.
The first game saw the Whitecaps
EASTLAKE, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps pitched their first one-hitter in nearly a year as part of a doubleheader split on Saturday at Classic Park, losing by a score of 5-3 in the opener before picking up a 7-0 shutout in the nightcap.
The first game saw the Whitecaps surrender three home runs to Lake County hitters before Game 2 featured four pitchers in Angel Reyes, Trevin Michael, Gabe Sequeira, and Erick Pinales combining to hold the Captains to just one hit in seven frames – marking the first ‘Caps one-hitter since the second game of a doubleheader when Ty Madden, Dario Gardea and Andrew Magno accomplished the feat against the Dayton Dragons on July 7, 2022.
In the opener, the Whitecaps received a serviceable start from pitcher Wilkel Hernandez, whose six innings on the mound helped him obtain a complete game despite giving up a two-run homer to Jorge Burgos in the first, a solo shot to Dayan Frias an inning later and another two-run blast to Micael Ramirez in the fifth to account for all of the Captains scoring. West Michigan plated their only runs with an Austin Murr RBI-double in the second and a two-run homer by Eliezer Alfonzo in the seventh as part of the 5-3 defeat.
In the nightcap, the Whitecaps took the lead – a move that has led to a victory for whichever team has scored first in all five games to this point of this series – on a two-run homer by Brady Allen to take a 2-0 lead. After plating a run in the fifth, the ‘Caps pulled away in the fifth with three more in a frame featuring another RBI from Allen on a run-scoring double, plus a two-run double by Roberto Campos to extend the edge to 6-0. An RBI-groundout from Esney Chacon concluded the scoring. Meanwhile, Reyes set the tone with an effective spot-start, tossing three scoreless, hitless innings while striking out three before Michael punched out five of the six batters he faced in two frames of perfect relief. Sequeira entered in the sixth and allowed a no-hitter breaking leadoff double to Dayan Frias before issuing a pair of walks and striking out Victor Planchart to strand the bases loaded. Pinales worked a perfect ninth to propel West Michigan to a guarantee of a series split with the added incentive of a series win with a victory over the Captains on Sunday.
The Whitecaps record moves to 32-29, while the Captains record stands at 28-33. Michael (3-1) collects his third win of the season, while former Michigan Wolverine and Lake County starter Steven Hajjar (0-1) walked six batters in his Midwest League debut, allowing two runs in 3.1 frames in his first loss at the High-A level. Allen was a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk and is now 8-for-17 through the five games of this series with three homers and nine RBI.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps complete their six-game series in Lake County with a Sunday series finale at 4:05 pm. Lefty Carlos Pena gets the start for West Michigan against Captains righty Reid Johnston. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network beginning at 3:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.