SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps struggled in clutch situations on Saturday night as part of a 10-7 loss to the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field.
The Whitecaps watched the Cubs score their first seven runs and eight in total on two-out base hits, while the
SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps struggled in clutch situations on Saturday night as part of a 10-7 loss to the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field.
The Whitecaps watched the Cubs score their first seven runs and eight in total on two-out base hits, while the ‘Caps went just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the contest. A South Bend grand slam by Ezequiel Pagan in the second inning helped the Cubs take a lead they would not relinquish.
South Bend took the lead when Christian Franklin collected a run-scoring single. Pagan followed with his fourth homer of the year and the first grand slam against West Michigan since Lake County Captains outfielder Jake Fox accomplished the feat on May 23, 2023, at LMCU Ballpark. After Pagan’s grand slam gave the Cubs a 5-0 lead, Felix Stevens delivered an RBI-double, extending the advantage to 6-0. The ‘Caps enjoyed one of their best innings in the fourth when they scored three times, highlighted by a two-run double from Dillon Paulson to cut the Cubs lead in half to 6-3. In the bottom of the frame, Luis Verdugo, who led the Cubs in batting during the 2022 season, brought home another run to bring the South Bend lead to 7-3. In the sixth, Izaac Pacheco launched his ninth home run of the season with a three-run shot to put West Michigan back in the contest with a 7-6 deficit. The 20-year-old’s homer marked just the seventh three-run homer for the ‘Caps this season and Pacheco’s first since June 30 against the Dayton Dragons. Each team traded solo homers in the following frame as Franklin and Brady Allen blasted shots for South Bend and West Michigan. In the seventh and eighth, Ballesteros and James Triantos helped the Cubs add an insurance run with RBI-singles to end the scoring in the contest.
The Whitecaps record falls to 42-46 overall and 10-13 in the second half, while the Cubs jump to 39-49 and 9-14 in the second half. South Bend southpaw Adam Laskey (3-1) tossed 1.2 innings and gave up just one run to collect his third win. Caps starter Williander Moreno (3-2) threw 3.1 frames while giving up seven runs in his second loss with West Michigan. Frankie Scalzo pitched a scoreless final two innings to earn his sixth save of the season. Paulson led the way at the plate with a two-hit performance in a losing cause that saw the Cubs score in all but two innings in the contest.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps conclude this six-game series Sunday afternoon against the South Bend Cubs from Four Winds Field at 2:05 pm. Lefty Carlos Pena and righty Connor Noland get the starts for West Michigan and South Bend respectively. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 1:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.