COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — The West Michigan Whitecaps saw dominant pitching propel them to a 2-0 win over the Lake County Captains - their sixth win in a row and Midwest League-most 14th shutout of the year - in front of 5,855 fans Friday night at LMCU Ballpark.
Whitecaps pitchers combined to post 12 strikeouts while surrendering just two walks and holding Lake County to an 0-for-4 mark with runners in scoring position. 'Caps starter Jackson Jobe impressed in his second start with West Michigan, wielding five shutout innings with six strikeouts in the victory.
Lake County managed just two hits through the first three innings, while West Michigan struggled to generate any offense, as Captains starter Ethan Hankins opened the game with three scoreless frames and four strikeouts. The Whitecaps broke through in the fourth as Luke Gold collected an RBI single before Roberto Campos added an RBI, forging West Michigan in front 2-0. In the seventh inning, Lake County loaded the bases with two outs before 'Caps reliever Gabe Sequeira delivered a strikeout to end the threat and maintain the 2-0 advantage. Lake County failed to rally in the eighth or ninth as Sequeira and Trevin Michael combined for two shutout frames with four punchouts to slam the door and earn the 2-0 shutout win.
The Whitecaps record improves to 50-49 overall and 18-16 in the second half, while the Captains fall to 46-53 and 15-19 in the second half. Jobe (1-0) secures his first win while Michael earns his second save. Captains starter Ethan Hankins (0-6) suffers his sixth loss, allowing two runs through 3.2 innings of work. The Whitecaps extend their longest winning streak of the season to six straight. With the victory, West Michigan earns their 14th shutout of the season. 'Caps pitchers have held Lake County to a .132 batting average through the series' first four games. The Whitecaps now sit one game back of first place in the Midwest League East Division after a Fort Wayne TinCaps loss.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the penultimate game of this six-game series against the Lake County Captains from LMCU Ballpark Saturday at 7:05 pm. Carlos Pena and Aaron Davenport get the starts for West Michigan and Lake County. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty [twitter.com] and Nate Wangler [twitter.com] begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com [whitecapsbaseball.com].
