DAYTON, OH — Pitcher Ben Jacobs delivered a career night on the mound while the West Michigan Whitecaps offense continued its torrid start to the series, cruising past the Dayton Dragons 14-6 Wednesday night in front of 7,457 fans at Day Air Ballpark.
Jacobs struck out a career-high 10 batters while catcher Edian Espinal tied a Whitecaps franchise record with two triples as West Michigan scored 14 runs for the second consecutive night, taking the first two games of its six-game series in Dayton. The Whitecaps have now scored 28 runs through the first two games of the series after rallying for a 14-11 victory Tuesday night.
The Whitecaps jumped in front early, as Espinal tripled before infielder Cristian Santana brought him home to open the scoring. West Michigan continued to add on, getting run-producing hits from infielder Carson Rucker and first baseman Beau Ankeney while Espinal collected his second triple of the night, matching the Whitecaps single-game franchise record and first to accomplish the feat since Wenceel Perez in 2022. Dayton attempted to stay within striking distance behind a two-run homer from infielder Justin Lebron, but the Whitecaps continued to answer, eventually building a commanding advantage on their way to their second straight victory.
Meanwhile, Jacobs kept the Dragons offense in check while piling up strikeouts. The 22-year-old left-hander reached double-digit strikeouts for the first time in his professional career, continuing an impressive late-season stretch that has seen the Tigers' 2025 third-round selection emerge as one of West Michigan's most effective starters. The performance also marked a dramatic turnaround from Jacobs' previous appearance at Day Air Ballpark, when Dayton scored nine earned runs against him on June 24.
Espinal highlighted another big night for the Whitecaps offense with his franchise-record-tying two triples, while West Michigan continued to receive contributions throughout the lineup. The ‘Caps have now scored 28 runs over the first 18 innings of the series after entering the week looking to make up ground in the Midwest League Eastern Division second-half playoff race.
Despite the victory, the Whitecaps remain 1.5 games behind the Great Lakes Loons for the Midwest League Eastern Division second-half playoff spot with three games remaining. Great Lakes kept pace Wednesday with a 13-7 victory over the Lake County Captains in Eastlake. The playoff race takes another significant turn Thursday, when the Loons and Captains play a pivotal doubleheader while the Whitecaps continue their series in Dayton.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps play the third game of this six-game series against the Dayton Dragons Thursday night at Day Air Ballpark. Pitcher Cale Wetwiska, who makes his Midwest League debut for West Michigan, opposes the Dragons JP Ortiz, with first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 p.m. with the Pella Windows Pregame Show online at WhitecapsBaseball.com.