Hernandez and Whitecaps shut out Fort Wayne in home opener

LocalSportsJournal.com

COMSTOCK PARK – The West Michigan Whitecaps rode a dominant pitching performance and stellar defense to a 1-0 opening night shutout over the Fort Wayne TinCaps in front of 3,571 fans at LMCU Ballpark.

Whitecaps pitchers combined to allow just four hits while striking out eight batters as starter Wilkel Hernandez allowed just two hits through four solid innings.

West Michigan pitchers were backed by a solid defense that made numerous big plays to hold Fort Wayne scoreless.

Ben Malgeri blasted a solo home run in the second inning, delivering West Michigan the 1-0 lead and win.

Fort Wayne advanced runners to the corners with two outs in the fourth inning before Danny Serretti leaped to take away a potential game-tying base hit, maintaining the 1-0 ‘Caps lead.

The Whitecaps fell silent over the last four frames, failing to record a base hit.

The bullpen stood firm as Blake Holub, Cristhian Tortosa, Jack Anderson, Gabe Sequeira, and Tyler Mattison threw five scoreless frames and six strikeouts to earn the victory.

The Whitecaps improve to 1-0 while the TinCaps fall to 0-1. Iriarte (0-1) suffers his first loss while Holub (1-0) secures his first victory of the season, tossing one shutout frame with a strikeout.

The game lasted only two hours, coming just two minutes shy of the shortest game of last season, played on August 24th, 2022, in a 2-1 win over South Bend.

The Whitecaps finished a game with a 1-0 final score for only the 104th time in team history. Thursday also marks the 150th win over Fort Wayne in West Michigan, improving the Whitecaps overall record in Comstock Park to 150-103 against the TinCaps.

UP NEXT

The first series of the 2023 regular season continues on Friday afternoon as the Whitecaps host the TinCaps at 12:05 pm.

Carlos Pena makes his 2023 debut on the mound against the TinCaps’ Victor Lizarraga.

Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 11:50 am. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.