COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps fell behind early and were unable to recover as part of an 8-0 loss to the Dayton Dragons in front of 6,211 fans Friday night at LMCU Ballpark.
The Whitecaps struggled to generate offense, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, while Dayton slugged four home runs – including back-to-back shots from outfielder Ariel Almonte and infielder Carlos Sanchez – to hand West Michigan their first shutout loss of the season.
Dayton grabbed the lead in the first inning as Yerlin Confidan and Alfredo Alcantara each delivered RBI singles before Almonte and Sanchez launched consecutive home runs in the fourth inning to extend the advantage to 4-0. Meanwhile, Dragons starting pitcher Nestor Lorant was dominant through seven innings, striking out seven while allowing just two hits to preserve the lead. The Dragons then piled on four more runs in the eighth inning as Sanchez blasted his second home run of the game before third baseman Victor Acosta capped the power surge with Dayton’s fourth homer of the night – a three-run blast – stretching the lead to 8-0. The Whitecaps managed just one baserunner over the final two innings as Dragons relievers Jimmy Romano and Drew Pestka combined to finish off the dominant shutout victory.
The Whitecaps fall to 12-19 while the Dragons improve to 17-14. Lorant (2-2) earned his second win of the season while Whitecaps starter Rayner Castillo (0-4) suffered his fourth loss after allowing four runs (three earned) over 4.1 innings. West Michigan has now lost 12 consecutive games, tying the longest losing streak in franchise history, originally set in May 2011. Garrett Pennington finished with the only two ‘Caps hits in the contest as part of a 2-for-4 performance.
UP NEXT
West Michigan and Dayton move this series to the weekend with a Saturday Matinee at LMCU Ballpark beginning at 2:00pm. Pitcher Max Alba is scheduled to make a Minor League Rehab Assignment and get the start for West Michigan. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 1:45pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’, and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, or listen to all the action on whitecapsbaseball.com.