LocalSportsJournal.com

The West Michigan Whitecaps cashed in with runners in scoring position on Friday night.

LSJ Logo incertThe Whitecaps, who went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position, clipped the Dayton Dragons 5-4 on the road.

West Michigan, which clinched a playoff berth in the first half of the season, improved to 3-6 during the second half and 42-34 overall.  whitecaps logo not for feature art

After falling behind 1-0, the Whitecaps responded in the second inning with an RBI double by Franklin Navarro, scoring Brett Pirtle to tie the game 1-1.

The Whitecaps took a 2-1 advantage one batter later on an RBI single by Jose Zambrano.

West Michigan extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning with a two-run single by Rashad Brown, scoring both Cam Gibson and Zambrano.

After the Dragons cut West Michigan’s lead to 4-3, Cam Gibson singled to right field which allowed Pirtle to score and extend its lead to 5-3.

Pirtle and Zambrano led the Whitecaps’ offense with two hits each while Brown had two RBIs.

West Michigan’s starting pitcher Fernando Perez lasted seven innings allowing four runs on eight hits while picking up his third win of the year.

West Michigan will continue its series at Dayton on Saturday at 7 p.m.