2008 West Michigan Whitecaps Season Tracker

In long game, Whitecaps blow out Loons

June 8th, 2008

MIDLAND – More than 20 hours after the original start of the game, the
Whitecaps finally completed game two of Saturday’s double header against the Loons with a 10-1 victory. There were two rain delays totaling nearly two and a half hours, including an hour-and-a-half delay on Sunday.

The seven-inning game was originally part of a double header Saturday night but was suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning, two outs short of an official game.

Paul Nardozzi pitched 4.1 shutout innings for the Whitecaps before play was stopped due to lightning on Saturday. Kelvin Cedano pitched two innings to earn the win. Following a 1 hour, 20 minute rain delay in the bottom of the seventh, Noah Krol recorded the last two outs to close out the win.

In his first game as a Whitecap, Hayden Parrott singled in his first at bat to lead off the third inning. He later scored on a single by Angel Flores to put West Michigan in front, 1-0.

Audy Ciriaco went 3-for-5 in the game with a solo home run to lead off the fourth to make the lead 2-0 and an RBI single in the fifth to give the Whitecaps a 3-0 advantage. He also double home a run during a three run rally in the seventh.

Jordan Newton drove in two runs on his seventh triple of the season.

The Whitecaps sent eleven to the plate in the top of the fifth against Loons reliever Jon Dutton who threw 48 pitches. Dutton walked four batters and allowed four hits in the inning.

Preston Mattingly scored the only Loons run of the game on a solo homer to lead off the seventh.

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Kaiser drives in four to guide ‘Caps past Loons

June 8th, 2008

MIDLAND – Kody Kaiser put the Whitecaps on the board with a three-run home run in the second inning and wound up with four RBI in West Michigan’s 8-3 win over Great Lakes. It was the regularly scheduled game following the completion of the second game of Saturday’s double header, which the ‘Caps won, 10-1.

Kaiser’s fourth RBI came on a double in the seventh inning that increased the West Michigan lead to 7-0.

Mauricio Robles made his first start for the Whitecaps and threw five shutout innings to earn the victory. Wilton Garcia and Rudy Darrow each pitched two innings of relief for the Whitecaps and each allowed an earned run.

Kyle Peter and Audy Ciriaco each went 3-for-5 for West Michigan while Adrian Casanova was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Jovanny Rosario and Alex Garabedian each had three hits for the Loons. However, the bottom four hitters in the great Lakes lineup were a combined 0-for-15.

Victor Garate struck out seven batters in five innings as the Loons starter, but allowed four runs (3 ER) and suffered his first loss of the season. Garate saw his ERA jump from 1.71 to 2.21.

With a pair of victories on Sunday, the Whitecaps finished their road trip 5-3 and pulled into a virtual tie with Fort Wayne for the Midwest League Eastern Division wild card lead with seven games to go in the first half.

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Whitecaps win 4-3 walk-off on error

June 9th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Jordan Newton scored the winning run as Kyle Peter legged out a ground ball thanks to a bobble by Lansing shortstop Justin Jackson in West Michigan’s 4-3 victory over Lansing. The Whitecaps rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win their third straight and pull to within two games of
the Midwest League Eastern Division-leading Lugnuts.

Newton singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth but was still at first with two out. At that point, reliever Joe Wice was brought into the game for Lansing. Newton was running on Wice’s first pitch and advanced to third because the pitch went to the back stop.

The next pitch proved to be the game-winner for the Whitecaps.

Andrew Hess made his second consecutive start for West Michigan and allowed three runs (2 ER) in four innings pitched. All three Lugnuts runs came on a home run by Matt Liuzza in the fourth inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Whitecaps used three consecutive two-out hits to score for the first time in the game. Roger Tomas singled to left to cut the lead to 3-1.

Chris Carlson had an RBI single in the eighth and Joaquin Guzman drove in the tying run on a fielder’s choice play to even the score, 3-3.

Kelvin Cedano and Wilton Garcia each threw two shutout innings of relief for the Whitecaps and Noah Krol tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his first win of the season.

Michael Barbara allowed the single to Newton in the ninth was charged with the winning run to take the loss for Lansing.

Marc Rzepczynski pitched seven innings as the Lugnuts starter and allowed just one run on seven hits.

Lansing tallied only three hits against Whitecaps pitchers who each have spent most or all of the season in the bullpen.

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Late runs push Lugnuts to shutout of ‘Caps

June 10th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Lansing scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings and handed the Whitecaps their fifth shutout loss of the season, 2-0. West
Michigan now trails the Lugnuts by three games in the Midwest League Eastern Division and is a game behind Fort Wayne in the wild card race.

The Wizards swept a double header from Dayton to pass the Whitecaps in the standings.

Brandon Hamilton pitched six shutout innings for West Michigan in a duel with Lansing lefty Brad Mills. With seven shutout innings and seven hits allowed, Mills earned the victory as the Lugnuts broke the scoreless tie with a run in the top of the eighth inning.

Moises Sierra led off the eighth with a single for Lansing. Following a walk to Manny Rodriguez and a bunt sacrifice by Michael McDade, Sierra scored on a wild pitch by Matt Hoffman.

In the ninth, Kevin Ahrens led off with a single then scored on a double by Matt Liuzza, which made the lead 2-0.

Hoffman pitched the final three innings of the game and took the loss. Liuzza has all four RBI in the series for Lansing.

Edgar Estanga finished the shutout for Lansing with two innings pitched to earn his sixth save.

West Michigan left a runner at third in both the fourth and sixth innings and stranded a runner at second in the eighth.

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Figaro pitches Whitecaps past Lansing

June 11th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Alfredo Figaro pitched seven innings and allowed one run on three hits in a 4-1 Whitecaps victory over Lansing. West Michigan
pulled within two games of first-place Lansing with four games to go in the first half.

The Whitecaps have also pulled into a tie for the first half wild card lead with Fort Wayne, thanks to Dayton’s 5-4 win over the Wizards.

West Michigan stole a season-high six bases.

Lansing grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Justin Jackson doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a ground ball to first base by C. J. Ebarb.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Whitecaps tied the game with back-to-back two-out singles by Kody Kaiser and Ronnie Bourquin. Kaiser stole second to move into scoring position for Bourquin.

West Michigan took the lead, 2-1 in the fifth following a double steal with no outs by Kyle Peter and Justin Henry. Peter scored when a ground ball by Roger Tomas was dropped by Lansing second baseman John Tolisano. Tomas was credited with an RBI.

Audy Ciriaco drove in Tomas with a ground out later in the fifth for a 2-1 advantage.

Chris Carlson hit an RBI triple to the wall in centerfield in the seventh to provide the final margin of victory. Tomas scored on the triple after reaching base on a single that extended his career-long hitting streak to nine games.

Rudy Darrow pitched a scoreless eighth for West Michigan and Noah Krol
tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his seventh save of the season.

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Casanova’s fly wins for the Whitecaps in ten

June 12th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Adrian Casanova hit a walk-off RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth inning to give the Whitecaps a 1-0 win over Lansing. The victory pulled West Michigan within a game of the Lugnuts in the
Midwest League Eastern Division standings.

There are three games to go in the first half and the ‘Caps have a narrow lead on Fort Wayne in the Eastern Division wild card race.

The bottom of the tenth began with a walk to Kody Kaiser, issued by Lansing closer Cody Crowell, who had already pitched two scoreless innings. Jordan Newton singled to put Kaiser at third and in position for the sac fly by Casanova.

Paul Nardozzi threw six shutout innings as the Whitecaps starting pitcher even though he allowed a base runner in each inning thanks to one error and five singles.

Wilton Garcia tossed four innings of shutout relief to earn the victory.

Lansing starter Randy Boone threw seven scoreless innings and allowed five hits with three walks.

The Whitecaps had a base runner in eight of the ten innings while Lansing had base runners in seven different innings.

It was the first time the Whitecaps played to a scoreless tie through nine innings since September 1, 2006 in a 1-0, 14-inning win at Dayton. The last home game that was scoreless through nine innings was May 10, 2006 when Beloit defeated the ‘Caps, 2-0 in 16 innings.

The shutout was the sixth of the season by the Whitecaps pitching staff.

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Miguelez, Robles one-hit the Wizards

June 13th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Luis Durango led off the game with a hit for Fort Wayne against Mauricio Robles. Then Robles combined with Manny Miguelez to hold the Wizards hitless for the remainder of a 5-0 Whitecaps win.

West Michigan now needs a victory in either of the last two games of the first half to clinch a playoff spot. Both contests are against Fort Wayne at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Robles pitched three innings and walked one batter before a one hour, 13 minute rain delay in the bottom of the third inning. Miguelez then took over and threw six hitless innings with three walks, three strikeouts and a hit batsman.

Whitecaps pitchers have now compiled 29 consecutive scoreless innings, dating back to a run allowed to Lansing in the first inning on Wednesday night.

It is the first time West Michigan has won back-to-back shutouts since September 3 and 4, 2006 with 2-0, and 1-0 wins over Dayton, respectively on the last two days of the regular season.

For the second day in a row, Whitecaps manager Joe DePastino was ejected from the game. DePastino was thrown out after Kyle Peter was called out on strikes in the fifth inning.

West Michigan took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Adrian Casanova. Chris Carlson delivered an RBI single after the delay in the third to make the lead, 2-0.

The Whitecaps put the game out of reach in the eighth with three runs on a run-scoring single by Roger Tomas and a two-run triple by Kody Kaiser. Tomas’ hit extended his hitting streak to eleven games.

Kyle Peter and Justin Henry each had two hits and two stolen bases for West Michigan. Carlson had two hits as well.

It was the first time the Whitecaps have allowed one hit in a nine inning game since Luke French tossed a complete game shutout of Dayton on July 21, 2006.

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Whitecaps clinch playoff berth

June 14th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – With a 6-3 win over Fort Wayne on Saturday, the West Michigan Whitecaps qualified for the post season for the fifth consecutive
year. The ‘Caps will at least qualify as a first half wild card team but could claim the Eastern Division first half title on Sunday with a win or a Lansing loss.

Sunday will be the last day of the first half of the Midwest League season.

Lansing clinched the other first half playoff berth for the Eastern Division with a 3-1 win over Great Lakes in 12 innings on Friday, so Fort Wayne will have to try to earn one of the two berths available in the second half.

Jon Kibler pitched seven innings for the Whitecaps and earned the win. He did not allow a run until the sixth inning, which snapped a team-record streak of 32.2 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.

A double by Fort Wayne catcher Ali Solis with one out in the third ended a streak of 11.1 consecutive hitless innings pitched by West Michigan.

The Whitecaps grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Audy Ciriaco and Kody Kaiser. Ciriaco and Jordan Newton each had RBI singles in the third and Kaiser drove in another run on a ground out as West Michigan built a 5-0 advantage.

Roger Tomas hit a sac fly to left that drove in Adrian Casanova in the fourth inning and put West Michigan in front, 6-0. Tomas finished the game 1-for-2 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.

Wynn Pelzer made the start for Fort Wayne and pitched on three days rest to take the loss. He gave up five runs (2 ER) in just three innings of work.

This is the third straight year that the Whitecaps have qualified for the playoffs in the first half. Lansing has won a half only once – in the first half of the 1999 season.

West Michigan has won eight games in a row.

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Wizards top ‘Caps - Division title up for grabs

June 15th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – For Wayne took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and put the game out of reach with four runs in the sixth during an 8-4 win over the Whitecaps. Because of the Whitecaps loss, Lansing can claim the Midwest League Eastern Division First Half Title with a win at Great Lakes Sunday afternoon.

Lance Zawadski led the Wizards offense with four RBI, including three on a triple in the sixth inning that put Fort Wayne in front, 6-1.

The Whitecaps scored an unearned run in the third inning to pull within 2-1 when Justin Henry scored on an error.

Catcher Jordan Newton hit his second home run of the season for the Whitecaps in the seventh inning, but left the game in the top of the eighth inning after he took a foul ball off his throwing hand.

A two-run single by Hayden Parrott in the eighth cut the Wizards lead to 8-4. Following a walk to Adrian Casanova, the tying run was on deck, but Kody Kaiser grounded into a fielder’s choice play to end the last serious threat of the game by the Whitecaps.

Fort Wayne used three pitchers over the first three innings, Bryan Oland, Colt Hynes and Jackson Quezada. Then scheduled starter Jeremy Hefner pitched 4.1 innings with three runs allowed beginning in the fourth.

Derek McDaid pitched the final 1.1 innings for the Wizards and earned the save.

Matt Hoffman started for West Michigan threw 29 pitches in each of the first two innings. Hoffman lasted 3.1 innings and gave way to Brandon Hamilton who surrendered six runs (5 ER) over 4.1 innings of relief.

Drew Cumberland went 3-for-4 for Fort Wayne while Zawadzki and Justin Baum each went 2-for-5. Baum had a double and two RBI.

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Carlson drives in run in Eastern Division All Star loss

June 18th, 2008

MIDLAND – All four Whitecaps on the Midwest League Eastern Division All Star roster saw action in a 5-4, 10-inning win for the Western Division.

Chris Carlson started at first base and drove in the tying run on a ground-out in the third inning. He finished 1-for-3.

Kyle Peter went 0-for-3 and played the final five innings in centerfield.

Alfredo Figaro pitched a scoreless third inning and allowed two hits but no runs.

In the fourth, Whitecaps pitcher Jon Kibler allowed the Western Division to tie the game with a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.

The Stars of Stars (MVP) was Clinton’s Tim Smith who hit the game-winning home run in the top of the tenth.

Peoria’s Blake Parker pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Western Division, struck out four and earned the victory.

The Eastern Division used 13 different pitchers.

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Hawks beat Whitecaps in second half opener

June 19th, 2008

SOUTH BEND, IN – Ronnie Bourquin’s RBI double gave the Whitecaps a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, but South Bend rallied for two in the bottom of
the frame and went on to beat the Whitecaps, 6-1. It was the first game of the second half of the Midwest League season.

Chance Wheeless put the Silver Hawks in front, 2-1 on a two-run in the bottom of the fourth.

South Bend added two unearned runs in the fifth inning thanks to an error by second baseman Justin Henry that opened the inning and allowed Evan Frey to reach base. Frey scored on a single by Mike Mee, who in turn scored on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Harbin.

Harbin, the Silver Hawks second baseman made two diving stops to rob the Whitecaps of hits in the second inning and Frey made a diving catch in right centerfield in the eight that took a hit away from Audy Ciriaco.

Two Whitecaps made their professional debuts: Andy Dirks was the designated hitter and went 0-for-3 but walked in his first plate appearance. Brett Jacobson pitched the seventh inning and retired all three South Bend batters he faced. Dirks was an eighth round pick by the Tigers in the draft earlier this month out of Wichita State University, while Jacobson was a fourth round choice from Vanderbilt University.

West Michigan closer Noah Krol allowed a pair of runs in the eighth inning as Wheeless led off with a single, Derrick Walker had an RBI triple and Konrad Schmidt followed with a run-scoring triple. That rally with no outs made the score, 6-1.

Paul Nardozzi took the loss for the Whitecaps by allowing four runs (2 ER) in five innings as the starting pitcher.

Central Michigan University product Josh Collmenter earned his first win at home this season with five innings pitched and one run allowed on five hits and a walk.

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Newton drives in four as Whitecaps win

June 20th, 2008

SOUTH BEND, IN – Jordan Newton went 3-for-4 with a triple, a double and four RBI to lead the Whitecaps to an 8-5 victory in South Bend.

Newton hit a bases loaded two-run double to the wall in left to tie the game, 2-2 in the fourth inning. With the score tied, 3-3 in the top of the fifth, Newton put West Michigan in front for good with a two-run triple.

South Bend tallied two runs in the first inning off Whitecaps starter Mauricio Robles who walked two, hit a batter, allowed a single and threw a wild pitch in the first. Robles worked three innings and came away with a no decision.

Following Newton’s double in the fourth, Kody Kaiser put the Whitecaps on top, 3-2 with an RBI single to drive in Roger Tomas.

The Silver Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, 3-3 on an RBI single by Mike Mee, who went 3-for-4 in the game.

Kalamazoo native Andrew Hess allowed three runs (2 ER) in 3.1 innings of relief for West Michigan, but earned his first professional victory.

Rudy Darrow pitched 2.2 innings – his longest outing of the year – to pick up his fourth save of the season.

Jordan Norberto was the starting pitcher for South Bend. He struck out six in the first three innings with the minimum nine batters faced, but allowed a total of five runs in 4.1 innings and took the loss.

Kaiser and Silver Hawks center fielder Evan Frey each had two hits.

Whitecaps newcomers Alex Avila and Andy Dirks each tallied his first professional hit. Avila singled to lead off the eighth then scored on a two-run single by Dirk, which helped put the game away.

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Two Whitecaps errors throw game away in ninth

June 21st, 2008

SOUTH BEND, IN – A pair of throwing errors on the final play of the game allowed the winning run to score from first base in South Bend’s 5-4 victory over the Whitecaps.

Wilton Garcia walked Konrad Schmidt to start the bottom of the ninth with the score tied, 4-4. Ramon Ramirez then attempted a sacrifice bunt, but grounded the ball back to Garcia. In an attempt to start a double play, Garcia threw the ball over second base and into centerfield.

With Schmidt trying to advance to third, center fielder Kyle Peter made a wild throw that landed in the Whitecaps dugout, which forced Schmidt home with the winning run.

Each starting pitcher (Alfredo Figaro for West Michigan and Cristian Beltre for South Bend) threw six innings and allowed four runs (3 ER). Figaro surrendered a season-high nine hits while Beltre yielded ten.

Garcia pitched two scoreless innings of relief before he gave up the winning run in the ninth.

Clay Zavada made his Silver Hawks debut and retired all six Whitecaps he faced in the seventh and eighth innings. Billy Spottiswood pitched a perfect top of the ninth to earn the victory.

West Michigan rallied from deficits of 1-0 and 4-1. Ronnie Bourquin went 3-for-4 for West Michigan with two RBI, including the game tying RBI single in the sixth.

Taylor Harbin went 3-for-4 for South Bend with a double and two RBI. Sean Coughlin doubled twice for the Silver Hawks and scored twice with an RBI.

Alex Avila scored two of the Whitecaps runs and had two hits, including a double.

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Sluggish start to the second half

June 22nd, 2008

SOUTH BEND, IN – South Bend is off to a solid start in the second half of the Midwest League season with three wins in a four game series, including
a 9-1 beating of the Whitecaps on Sunday. The Silver Hawks took a 5-0 in the second inning and never looked back.

In his second start since Tommy John Surgery, Dallas Buck allowed one run on two hits over five innings to pick up the win for South Bend. Jon Kibler went five innings for the Whitecaps, but took the loss.

Kibler retired the side in order in the first inning but in the second gave up a lead-off single to Taylor Harbin, followed by a double by Sean Coughlin. At first it appeared that left fielder Joe Tucker would easily make the catch on Coughlin’s double, but at the last moment he began to sprint, then dove and came up short.

Then Derrick Walker hit a ball back to Kibler, who looked the runner back to third, but made a high throw to first that pulled Ronnie Bourquin off the bag and loaded the bases with no outs.

Kibler then issued a bases loaded walk to drive in a run and the Silver Hawks went on to score five times in the inning. Aaron Hanke had the key hit of the inning, a two-run double to make the score 4-0.

The Whitecaps answered with a single run in the top of the fourth.

Justin Henry led off with a double. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Newton. However, Newton finished the game 0-for-3 to end his seven game hitting streak.

Reliever Manny Miguelez allowed two runs in 1.2 innings while Kelvin Cedano gave up two more runs in 1.1 innings of work for the ‘Caps.

West Michigan pitchers walked eight batters in the game.

Whitecaps right fielder Andy Dirks left the game with an injury after he dove for a ball in right field that popped out of his glove and went for a two-run single by Sean Coughlin in the eighth.

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Walks and errors: Whitecaps lose third straight

June 23rd, 2008

FORT WAYNE, IN – For the second time in five games at Fort Wayne this season, Whitecaps pitchers issued 11 walks and the Wizards handed West Michigan its sixth shutout loss of the season, 7-0.

Starting pitcher Brandon Hamilton issued seven walks in three innings of work. He was the first Whitecaps pitcher to walk seven in a game since Humberto Sanchez on August 14, 2003 at Battle Creek.

West Michigan’s team record for walks in a game is eight, achieved three times, most recently by Dayle Campbell on August 8, 2001.

The first six Fort Wayne batters of the game reached base, but only seven came to the plate in the first as the Wizards were held to three runs in the inning.

Hamilton was charged with four runs (3 ER) on five hits and took the loss to fall to 0-5.

Matt Teague pitched six shutout innings for Fort Wayne was followed by single innings of shutout relief from Colt Hynes, Bryan Oland and Jackson Quezada.

Justin Baum led the Wizards offense by going 2-for-4 with three RBI. He put Fort Wayne on the board with a two-run triple to centerfield in the first and added an RBI double in the fourth.

Drew Cumberland went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases for Fort Wayne.

Although the walks contributed to the scoring for Fort Wayne only two of the eleven batters who walked actually came around to score.

In the last two games, West Michigan has been outscored 16-1 and has collected a total of seven hits and seven errors, including three on Monday in Fort Wayne.

Matt Hoffman worked four innings of relief for the Whitecaps and allowed two runs. He issued three walks, while Brett Jacobson walked one and allowed a run in one inning of work.

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Fifth Third Ballpark gets a piece of Tiger Stadium
by Gary Bond | The Grand Rapids Press
Friday June 27, 2008, 3:25 PM

Any day now, Tiger Stadium will be a big pile of rubbish, leaving Detroit Tigers fans with only memories.

The West Michigan Whitecaps have found away to rekindle those memories every time they enter Fifth Third Ballpark.

Through a promotion with Bennigan's, the Whitecaps have purchased four original Tiger Stadium seats and placed them in their ballpark in section 117, row 9.

The seats are located behind home plate and are named after four Tiger legends, Kirk Gibson, Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and Ernie Harwell.

The cost of these seats are $80 and fans will receive four tickets, four special Tiger Stadium Seat T-shirts.

And it won't be hard to pick out these four seats. They're painted orange and are a bit smaller than the normal ballpark seat size at 17 inches.

For more information, call the Whitecaps box office at 616-784-4131.
_________________
Miner

back and better than ever. Starting, baby! YAY!

Bourquin drives in three as ‘Caps edge Wizards

June 24th, 2008

FORT WAYNE, IN – Ronnie Bourquin had three RBI including one on the game
tying hit and Joe Tucker had two doubles, including one that drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Whitecaps edged Fort Wayne, 7-6.

West Michigan jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the Wizards rallied against starting pitcher Paul Nardozzi and moved in front, 6-5 in the sixth inning. The Whitecaps bullpen then pitched 3.2 scoreless innings to allow the Whitecaps to stage a comeback of their own.

Bourquin went 2-for-4 and had a home run to lead off the fourth, which gave the ‘Caps a 5-0 advantage. His hit that tied the game in the eighth came following back-to-back walks issued by reliever Derek McDaid to start the inning.

With Kody Kaiser and Alex Avila on base, Bourquin showed bunt on three straight pitches, but then took a full swing with the defense out of position to drive in a run.

The Whitecaps batted around and tallied four runs (2 ER) in the second inning off Wizards starter Jeremy McBryde.

Fort Wayne returned the favor by batting around with four runs scored in the sixth.

Wilton Garcia tossed 2.2 innings of relief for West Michigan pick up the win. Noah Krol struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn his sixth consecutive save, which was his ninth of the season.

The win snapped a three game losing streak for the Whitecaps.

Fort Wayne center fielder Brad Chalk had an RBI in the sixth and put the Wizards on the scoreboard with a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth.

Each of the first three innings ended when the Whitecaps turned double plays by making catches on line drives and doubling-off runners at first base. Bourquin turned an unassisted double play in the second. The ‘Caps turned a total of four double plays in the game, which matched the season-best effort against Lansing on May 10.

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Wizards whip Whitecaps in shutout

June 25th, 2008

FORT WAYNE, IN – For the second time in the first three games of the series, the Whitecaps were shutout by Fort Wayne, 8-0. West Michigan was
blanked in the series opener Monday, 7-0 and has now been outscored 30-to-8 in the last four games.

Wynn Pelzer pitched the first six innings for Fort Wayne and scattered three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Robert Woodard struck out two in three perfect innings of relief to earn his second save of the season.

Whitecaps starter Mauricio Robles faced only seven batters and allowed four walks with two hits and a strikeout. Three of the runners scored. As was the case Monday, the first six Wizards batters of the game reached base.

Andrew Hess followed with his longest outing of the season for West Michigan. He induced a double play with the bases loaded to end the first, then allowed just four hits and one run through the fifth inning to keep the Whitecaps in the game.

Justin Baum hit a solo home run off Hess in the fifth inning, which made the lead, 4-0. Baum finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

Manny Miguelez relieved Hess and allowed three runs (1 ER) over two innings as the Wizards put the game out of reach.

Robert Perry went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Perry and Zach Brown had back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth inning that made the lead 6-0.

Lance Zawadzki went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI doubles for Fort Wayne.

Former first round draft choice Drew Cumberland left the game during his at bat in the second inning. He appeared to injure himself swing at strike two.

West Michigan stranded a runner in scoring position in each of the first four innings as well as the sixth.

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Figaro leads league in win; ‘Caps split series

June 26th, 2008

FORT WAYNE, IN – A four run rally in the top of the third inning bailed-out
starting pitcher Alfredo Figaro who earned the victory in a 6-5 Whitecaps win in Fort Wayne. Figaro is tied for the Midwest League lead in wins with a 9-2 record and West Michigan came away with a 2-2 split in the series.

Figaro allowed a run in the bottom of the first inning and two more in the bottom of the second as the Wizards jumped in front, 3-0.

Justin Baum had an RBI single in the first then B. J. Dubarry and Luis Durango each collected RBI in the second inning.

Ronnie Bourquin started the third inning rally for the Whitecaps with the first of his two doubles in the game. He scored the ‘Caps first run on an RBI walk by Justin Henry that was followed by an RBI single from Roger Tomas, which cut the lead to 3-2.

Jordan Newton gave West Michigan the lead when he followed Tomas with a two-run single to cap the rally.

Figaro then settled down and pitched through the sixth inning.

Brett Jacobson tossed 1.1 innings of relief and allowed two runs (1 ER), but Noah Krol recorded the final five Fort Wayne outs of the game to earn his tenth save of the season, which was his seventh in a row.

Henry finished the game with two RBI as the two teams traded runs in each the seventh and eighth. Kyle Peter scored with for the Whitecaps with two walks and a stolen base.

It was the final regular season game that the Whitecaps will play at Memorial Stadium. A new ballpark is under construction in downtown Fort Wayne and is scheduled to open in 2009. West Michigan went 55-57 all time at Memorial Stadium.

The Wizards tallied 13 hits in the game, which was the most allowed by the ‘Caps this season. Brad Chalk was 4-for-5 while Luis Durango went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

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Ciriaco’s first inning homer stands up

June 28th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Audy Ciriaco hit a two-run homer in the first inning that provided the winning margin in the Whitecaps 3-2 victory over Lansing. The blast gave West Michigan a 3-0 lead, which held up through a pair of rain delays that totaled two hours.

Jon Kibler pitched the first six innings for the Whitecaps and survived a 41 minute delay in the top of the second. He came out to warm up for the top of the seventh, but the game was then delayed 1 hour, 19 minutes by rain. Kibler earned the win to improve to 7-3. He allowed an unearned run on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

Michael McDade reached base in the third inning for Lansing when Kibler dropped a throw at first base from first baseman Ronnie Bourquin. Later in the inning McDade scored on a single by Raul Barron, to cut the lead to 3-1.

The other Lansing run came in the eighth inning on a solo home run by John Tolisano, which cut the lead to 3-2.

Over the last three innings, Lansing stranded eight base runners. There were two left in the top of the ninth when Tolisano popped out against West Michigan closer Noah Krol to end the game. Krol has converted eight consecutive save opportunities and has 11 saves this season.

Wilton Garcia pitched 1.2 innings of relief for the ‘Caps and Rudy Darrow threw a scoreless inning.

Lugnuts starter Brian Letko allowed no hits after the first inning but took the loss with five innings on the mound. Jimmy Dougher allowed the fourth and final West Michigan hit of the game in the sixth inning. Frank Gailey pitched two perfect innings for Lansing. Justin Henry doubled with one out in the first for the Whitecaps and scored on a single by Roger Tomas, who scored on Ciriaco’s home run.

The Lugnuts committed five errors in the game. None of them affected the scoring.

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Rodriguez homer lifts Lansing to win over ‘Caps
June 29th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Manny Rodriguez doubled and scored in the second inning then drove a two-run homer to right field in the fifth inning to give
Lansing a 3-2 win over the Whitecaps. The Lugnuts had lost three straight at Fifth Third Ballpark.

West Michigan took the lead in the first inning on a two-run single by Alex Avila. Justin Henry and Jordan Newton each scored.

It was the second game in a row the Whitecaps scored all of their runs in the first inning. On Friday, the ‘Caps tallied three in the first held on for a 3-2 victory over Lansing.

Edgar Estanga pitched a season-high five innings to earn his eighth victory in relief this season (8-1). Tim Collins then tossed three hitless innings to pick up the save.

Tyrstan Magnuson, who is 0-7 this season, pitched only the first inning for Lansing.

Thad Weber made his Midwest League debut for the Whitecaps and pitched three innings as the starter with five strikeouts and a run allowed on two hits.

Scott Green made his professional debut for West Michigan and allowed one run on one hit with two strikeouts in the top of the ninth.

Manny Miguelez kept the Whitecaps in the game with 3.1 scoreless innings pitched after Kelvin Cedano allowed the go ahead home run and took the loss.

Lansing manager Clayton McCullough was ejected from the game in the third inning. It marked the third time in the last four meetings between the Whitecaps and Lugnuts that a manager or coach has been tossed.

Lugnuts pitching coach Tom Signore was ejected on June 11 at Fifth Third Ballpark and West Michigan manager Joe DePastino was thrown out of the game on June 12.

The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 14 minutes by rain.

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Kaiser ends 13-inning win for the Whitecaps

June 29th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – Kody Kaiser had the last of three consecutive two-out hits in the bottom of the 13th inning and collected the game winning RBI in the Whitecaps 6-5 win over Lansing. West Michigan rallied from three runs down to force extra innings.

Audy Ciriaco went 3-for-5 at the plate and scored both the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and the winning run in the 13th. Ciriaco reached base five times, thanks in part of two of the four Lansing errors in the game and had an RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

Relief pitcher Rudy Darrow kept the Whitecaps alive by throwing four perfect innings in the longest outing of his professional career. He carried the game from the eighth through the eleventh. Noah Krol pitched the 12 and 13th for the ‘Caps, did not allow a hit or a walk and earned the victory.

The Whitecaps have scored multiple runs in the first inning of each of the first three games of this series. On Sunday, the ‘Caps scored two in the first. With runners at second and third and two out, Lansing first baseman Michael McDade made a clean play on a ground ball, but then dropped the ball as he was running toward the bag.

Lansing rallied for a pair of runs to tie the game, 2-2 in the top of the fifth and took the lead, 5-2 in the top of the sixth. Five different Lugnuts had RBI.

In the bottom of the sixth, West Michigan trimmed the lead to 5-4 thanks to sacrifice flies by Ciriaco and Joe Tucker.

Starting pitcher Paul Nardozzi struck out nine Lansing batters in five innings on the mound, but he allowed four runs and left the game after facing two batters in the sixth.

Lugnuts hitters struck out 15 times in the game while the Whitecaps struck out 13 times. Lansing reliever Joe Wice registered eight strikeouts in four innings of relief. He was on the mound when the ‘Caps tied the game in the bottom of the ninth and was charged with a blown save. The tying run scored on a throwing error by third baseman Jonathan Jaspe.

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Tenth inning errors doom Whitecaps

June 30th, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – With two out in the top of the tenth inning, Lansing scored four unearned runs to break a scoreless tie and beat the Whitecaps, 4-0. The Lugnuts earned a 2-2 split in the series.

Mauricio Robles and Marc Rzepczynski for the Whitecaps and Lugnuts, respectively each threw seven shutout innings with three hits allowed as starters. Rzepczynski struck out seven batters.

Lansing left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth against Andrew Hess. But in the tenth with two out, Raul Barron laid down a bunt single and advanced to third on a throwing error by Hess.

Walks were then issued to Kevin Ahrens and Jonathan Jaspe to load the bases before Moises Sierra hit a grounder to shortstop Audy Ciriaco. The ball skipped past Ciriaco and into left centerfield for a two-run error, which broke the scoreless tie.

C. J. Ebarb followed with a two-run single to center field that completed the rally.

Frank Gaily threw three shutout innings of relief to earn the victory for Lansing.

The game was second this month between the Whitecaps and Lugnuts to go into the tenth inning locked in a scoreless tie. On June 12, West Michigan beat Lansing, 1-0 in ten innings on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth by Adrian Casanova.

Monday’s game was the first extra inning win against the Whitecaps in three tries for the Lugnuts, who also lost to West Michigan, 6-5 in 13 innings on Sunday.

The Whitecaps have been shutout eight times this season. When Lansing scored in the tenth, it snapped a streak of 17.1 consecutive scoreless innings pitched by West Michigan.

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Big 8th Inning Gives ‘Caps Comfortable Win
July 1st, 2008

COMSTOCK PARK – A four run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Whitecaps a five run cushion en route to a 9-4 victory over Fort Wayne. West Michigan has won 14 of its last 15 games against the Wizards at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Alfredo Figaro allowed three runs (2 ER) on seven hits over six innings, but picked up the win for the Whitecaps to improve to 10-2. He is the first Midwest League pitcher to reach ten wins this season.

West Michigan took the lead for good in the fourth inning thanks to the speed of center fielder Kyle Peter. With two out, Peter bunted for a hit then stole second and third on consecutive pitches before he scored on a single by Justin Henry, which gave the ‘Caps a 4-3 lead.

The Whitecaps scored in the bottom of the first without a hit thanks to two walks by Aaron Breit and a throwing error by shortstop Lance Zawadzki, who was trying to complete an inning-ending double play.

Fort Wayne rallied to take the lead in the second, 2-1 on an RBI single by Brad Chalk. Danny Payne padded the lead to 3-1 with an RBI hit in the third inning.

Hayden Parrott had the first Whitecaps hit of the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third, which tied the score, 3-3.

Breit pitched 3.2 innings and took the loss. He is 0-5 in five starts all time against West Michigan, including two losses in the last week.

Audy Ciriaco, who scored on the home run by Parrott, hit a homer of his own in the seventh, which made the lead, 5-3. Ciriaco scored three runs in the game while Parrott finished 3-for-5 with a triple in addition to the long ball.

West Michigan put the game out of reach with a four run rally in the eighth inning against reliever Colt Hynes, who surrendered five runs in two innings of work.

Angel Flores had a two run single in the eighth for West Michigan. Chalk finished 3-for-5 at the plate.

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