LocalSportsJournal.com
The West Michigan Whitecaps opened up their series at Great Lakes on Friday with a 5-4 victory behind 10 strikeouts by Matt Manning.
Manning, the number three ranked Detroit Tiger prospect according to Baseball America, made his season debut on Friday after recovering from an abdominal strain.
Manning lasted 3 and 2/3 innings on Friday while allowing three runs on two hits. He was pulled after 69 pitches due to a strict pitch count limit.
The Whitecaps faced a 4-3 deficit in the eighth inning before Luke Burch tripled home Cole Peterson to tie the game at 4-4. Two batters later, Burch scored on a sacrifice fly by Colby Bortles to give West Michigan a 5-4 lead.
Overall, the Whitecap offense had four hits on the night, with Burch leading the team with two hits and two RBIs.
Brandyn Sittinger picked up the win on the mound, tossing 3 and 1/3 innings in relief of Manning. Sittinger allowed one run on two hits while striking out six. John Hayes picked up the save, allowing only one hit in two innings of work while also striking out two.
West Michigan improves to 9-3 on the season and sits atop the Midwest League Western Division tied with Dayton.
The Whitecaps will return to action on Saturday at Great Lakes, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
