BELOIT, WI (WHTC AM/FM) – The West Michigan Whitecaps took an early lead but couldn’t add to it as part of a 4-2 loss to the Beloit Sky Carp on Thursday at ABC Supply Stadium.
In the third straight game of the six-game series in Beloit, the team who scored first failed to win the evening. Beloit rallied in the middle innings against starting pitcher Brant Hurter, tallying a run in the fifth and three to take the lead in the sixth. West Michigan committed three errors in the contest.
Esney Chacon opened the scoring with a third-inning RBI-single before Jace Jung delivered the first RBI of his professional career with an opposite-field, run-scoring double to give West Michigan a 2-0 advantage.
In the fifth, an error by shortstop Trei Cruz led to a Kyler Castillo RBI-single, putting the Sky Carp on the board at 2-1. In the sixth, Beloit sent all nine of its hitters to the plate. Bennett Hostetler’s RBI-double knotted the game at two before a go-ahead single from Ynmanol Marinez and bases loaded walk from reliever Gio Arriera to Federico Polanco gave Beloit a 4-2 edge.
The best opportunity West Michigan had to rally came in the ninth after a leadoff walk to Ben Malgeri, and a one-out double by Cooper Johnson pushed runners to second and third. After a fielder’s choice put Chacon at first, West Michigan had the bases loaded with one out for Jung and Josh Crouch, who both struck out swinging to end the contest and give the Sky Carp wins in two of the first three games of this series.
Even Fitterer (5-6) tossed five innings and allowed just two runs while striking out five to earn his fifth win, while lefty Brant Hurter (4-1) got into trouble in his final two frames and took his first loss as a member of the Whitecaps. Jake Walters pitched the final two innings to earn his 1st save of the season.
The Whitecaps record moves to 57-48 and 26-13 in the second half. The Sky Carp improves to 21-18 and an even 52-52 overall.
The Whitecaps and Beloit Sky Carp move forward in this six-game series from ABC Supply Stadium Friday at 7:35 p.m.
Lefty Jack O’Loughlin gets the start for West Michigan against righty Jackson Rose for Beloit.
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