SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps watched two different players reach base four times as part of a 5-4 victory over the South Bend Cubs on Sunday in front of 4,802 fans at Four Winds Field.
Infielders Jace Jung and Luis Santana reached base four times – with
SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps watched two different players reach base four times as part of a 5-4 victory over the South Bend Cubs on Sunday in front of 4,802 fans at Four Winds Field.
Infielders Jace Jung and Luis Santana reached base four times – with three base hits apiece – along with solo home runs as the Whitecaps earned a series split on the road for the first time since June 13-18 at Lake County.
The Whitecaps opened the scoring when Jung delivered his 14th home run of the season with two outs in the first inning off South Bend starter Connor Noland. In the bottom of the frame, Cubs infielder James Triantos collected a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one. After a Brady Allen groundout gave West Michigan the lead in the third, lefty Carlos Pena pitched around some wildness to limit the Cubs to just one run on one hit over five innings on the mound. The ‘Caps turned in a handful of big defensive plays during Pena’s start, including a sprawling catch by first baseman Austin Murr on a ball hit into foul territory, a sliding play on a one-hopper to Santana at third, and a 4-6-3 double play to end the fifth. In the seventh, the ‘Caps extended their lead with a three-run frame which began with Luis Santana’s first home run as a Whitecap – a solo shot with one out in the frame before a two-run single from Jung provided much-needed insurance and a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Christian Franklin blasted a two-run homer over the batter’s eye to trim the Cubs deficit to 5-3. After a Kevin Made solo shot in the eighth, reliever Dario Gardea came on to toss the final two innings and holding the Cubs scoreless to lock in the Whitecaps 5-4 victory and ensure the series split.
The Whitecaps record jumps to 43-46 overall and 11-13 in the second half, while the Cubs drop to 39-50 and 9-15 in the second half. Pena (3-6) allowed just one run in five innings to earn his second win of the series and third of the season, while Noland (1-6) gave up two runs in five frames in taking the tough-luck loss. Gardea’s brilliant final two innings earned him his third save. The win places the Whitecaps just three games behind Fort Wayne for first place in the Midwest League Western Division standings, with the TinCaps coming to LMCU Ballpark next week for a six-game series.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps begin a 12-game homestand with a six-game set against the first-place Fort Wayne TinCaps from LMCU Ballpark beginning Tuesday at 6:35 pm. Top-100 MLB Prospect Robby Snelling gets the start for Fort Wayne, while the Whitecaps starter is to be determined. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.