LocalSportsJournal.com

The West Michigan Whitecaps set a Midwest League record with 11 doubles as part of a 15-8 rout over the Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium on Friday night.

The Whitecaps learned before the contest that they had clinched the Midwest League Eastern Division first-half title, and will have home-field advantage in a first-round playoff series against the Dayton Dragons beginning Sept. 6.

Doubles were flying off the bats of Whitecaps’ hitters at an amazing clip in the win against Lansing, which was the team’s third victory in a row. A Josh Lester double in the eighth inning snapped the old league record of 10, set by the old South Bend Silverhawks in July of 2000.

The Whitecaps also set team records for doubles and extra-base hits in a game (11), and tied a team mark for base hits in a game (25).

The Whitecaps built a 9-0 lead in the first two innings of the contest. Three straight run-scoring doubles by Lester, Blaise Salter and Anthony Pereira helped stake West Michigan to its big lead.

Lansing equipped with the best offense in the Midwest League, rallied back with six straight runs. But the Caps tacked on six runs over the final four innings to ensure the lead would stay intact and salt the game away.

It was a banner night for many Whitecaps, but Danny Woodrow led the way by going 5-for-5 with four runs, two doubles and two walks. Salter finished 4-for-7 with two doubles, and Lester went 3-for-6 with three doubles and a career-high six RBIs in the victory. Austin Athmann and Cam Gibson also chipped in with three hits.

The Whitecaps will finish the first half of the season with two more games at home against Lansing on Saturday and Sunday.