[dropcap]A[/dropcap]fter suffering back-to-back walk-off losses, the West Michigan Whitecaps exploded in the ninth inning for four runs to beat the Cedar Rapids Kernels, 7-3.
The Whitecaps (8-6) held a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, but the Kernels (8-6) tied things up before heading into the final inning. Wynton Bernard led off the top of the inning for the ‘Caps with a towering double off the left field wall. Harold Castro bunted him to second while Javier Bentancourt lined the next pitch to right-center for the go-ahead single.
Raph Rhymes reached based on a fielder’s choice that put runners at first and second, followed by a Dominic Ficociello base hit through the middle. Kernels’ center fielder Jason Kanzler couldn’t handle the ball, allowing Bentancourt and Rhymes to score as Ficociello reached to third.
Ficociello would then score off a sacrifice fly by Ben Verlander to cap the four-run, four-hit rally and eventually end the game, 7-3.
Bentancourt led the offensive all night, going 3-for-5 to notch his eighth multi-hit effort through 14 games. He now has 22 hits this season. Bernard and Brett Harrison each had two-hit games and Verlander added a pair of RBI to increase
his team-leading total to 10.
John Maciel (1-0) earned the win for West Michigan after four innings of relief work. He allowed two runs – one earned – with five hits, three strikeouts and one walk.
Jonathon Crawford pitched five innings in his start, limiting Cedar Rapids to one hit on three runs. The 2013 first-found pick by the Detroit Tigers has allowed one run over 10.1 innings in his last two starts.
Hudson Boyd (2-1) suffered the loss after giving up four hits and four runs in the ninth.
West Michigan and Cedar Rapids will play game two of their three-game series tonight, with first pitch slated for 7:35 p.m. ET. RHP Buck Farmer (1-1, 2.79 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for West Michigan against RHP Kohl Stewart (0-0, 5.00) of Cedar Rapids.
