COMSTOCK PARK — West Michigan Whitecaps starting pitcher Jack O'Loughlin closed an outstanding month of May with another sensational outing as 'Caps pitching silenced the Lake County Captains in a 1-0 shutout in front of 6,076 fans Saturday night at LMCU Ballpark.
O'Loughlin extended his scoreless streak to 20 innings, allowing just one hit through five innings with five strikeouts. The 23-year-old lefty finishes the month of May with a 2-1 record and 1.45 ERA in 23.2 frames. Whitecaps pitching held the Captains to an 0-for-2 mark with runners in scoring position, registering 11 strikeouts in the shutout victory. The victory becomes the 105th 1-0 West Michigan decision in franchise history, with the ‘Caps holding a 55-50 record in those instances.
Lake County second baseman Nate Furman opened the first inning with a single before O'Loughlin retired the next three batters to escape trouble. The 'Caps responded with a triple from outfielder Austin Murr in the third but couldn't capitalize, as Captains starter Tommy Mace induced a flyout to end the inning. The Whitecaps struck for the game's only run in the fifth inning as Murr lifted a sacrifice fly, scoring Esney Chacon from third base and jumping in front 1-0. Lake County failed to rally, tallying one hit for the remainder of the game as West Michigan relievers Trevin Michael, Blake Holub, and Gabe Sequeira combined for four shutout frames with six strikeouts to slam the door and earn the shutout victory.
The Whitecaps improve to 25-19 and sit four games behind the Great Lakes Loons for first place in the Midwest League East division. The Captains fall to 22-22. O'Loughlin captures his third victory as Sequeira collects his first save of the season, tossing a scoreless ninth inning. Captains starter Tommy Mace (1-1) suffers his first loss, allowing one run through seven innings pitched. O'Loughlin has thrown 23.2 innings in May, allowing three runs while posting a 25:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio and bringing his ERA down to 2.17 - currently second-best amongst qualified pitchers in the Midwest League.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps conclude this six-game series with the Lake County Captains with a Sunday night matchup from LMCU Ballpark at 6:05pm. A rematch of the first game of the series that saw 26 runs score between the two teams in a 17-9 West Michigan loss pits Wilkel Hernandez against Rodney Boone for the ‘Caps and Captains.
