LocalSportsJournal.com
DAYTON, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed a Dayton Dragons slaying on Sunday with a 4-1 victory in front of 7,762 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
The win gives West Michigan its first series of the 2022 season in which they won five of six contests, a feat accomplished by Dayton against the ‘Caps back in April. The Whitecaps second-half record now sits at 11-4 and in first place in the Midwest League Eastern Division.
The Sunday win was a clean game for the ‘Caps from start to finish.
Starting pitcher Brant Hurter escaped a jam in the second inning and cruised through his first five frames on the hill.
In the second, the Whitecaps plated a run without the benefit of a base hit, as an error and walk led to a wild pitch to score Austin Murr and give West Michigan a 1-0 lead.
In the third, Josh Crouch came through with a two-run double down the right-field line, extending the advantage to 3-0. In the sixth, Hurter allowed an infield single to Dragons shortstop and Cincinnati Reds Top Prospect Elly De La Cruz, who came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Ruben Ibarra to give Dayton its only run.
In the eighth, Corey Joyce delivered an insurance run with an RBI-single to score Jake Holton and conclude the scoring, giving the ‘Caps wins in 12 of their last 16 games.
Hurter (2-0) collected the victory for West Michigan by striking out five batters in 5.1 innings of one-run baseball while starting pitcher Joe Boyle (3-3) takes the loss for the Dragons despite striking out ten batters in five innings. Andrew Magno tossed a scoreless ninth to collect his second series save and seventh of the season.
The Whitecaps improve to 42-39 with a first-place 11-4 second-half record, while the Dragons fall to 44-37 and 5-10 in the second half.
Crouch paced the offense with a 2-for-3 performance, plus a walk.
Relievers Bryce Tassin, Jack O’Loughlin, and Dario Gardea combined for 2.2 innings of scoreless middle relief in the victory.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps take their first-place second-half record home for a six-game series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Midwest League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, from LMCU Ballpark beginning Tuesday at 6:35 pm.
The Whitecaps Carlos Guzman faces Wisconsin lefty Antoine Kelly, in his final start before departing for the MLB Futures Game for the Timber Rattlers. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm. Get your tickets for all 2022 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
