LocalSportsJournal.com
The West Michigan Whitecaps struggled to find offense in their 10-2 loss to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in front of a season-high 6,782 fans Saturday night at Fifth Third Ballpark.
The loss snaps West Michigan’s three-game winning streak, leaving them with a record of 14-13.
Wisconsin opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the second, then added single runs in the next two innings.
David Gonzalez got the Caps on the scoreboard in the fifth when he ripped an RBI double down the left field line to bring the score to 4-1.
The game became controversial in the eighth when Wisconsin’s Jake Gatewood launched a high fly ball to deep right-center field. West Michigan outfielder Derek Hill made a phenomenal catch, crashing into the outfield wall.
While lying on the ground, Hill attempted to flip the baseball to fellow outfielder Cam Gibson. Hill’s flip evaded Gibson landing on the warning track, and the umpire ruled that Hill never caught the fall in the first place.
Gatewood circled the bases on the play for an inside-the-park home run. The call was contested by the Whitecaps, leading to the ejection of Manager Andrew Graham.
In the ninth, Gatewood blasted a grand slam off West Michigan reliever Josh Laxer to conclude the scoring.
Starting pitcher Beau Burrows (1-2) took the loss for West Michigan. Will Maddox paced the Whitecaps by going 2-for-4 in the contest.
