[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Whitecaps completed their first four-game sweep of the season on Monday, defeating the Bowling Green Hot Rods by a final score of 8-5 at Fifth Third Ballpark.
It’s the seventh series sweep West Michigan (7-4, 48-33) has recorded this year, with six of the seven coming at Fifth Third Ballpark. The ‘Caps have been dominant at home this year, winning 15 of their last 17 contests at Fifth Third Ballpark while posting a 30-13 record at home for the year.
After the Whitecaps’ pitchers kept Bowling Green (3-8, 35-45) in check the first three games of the series, it was clutch hitting that helped them win on Monday, as West Michigan scored six of their eight runs with two outs.
The top third of the West Michigan lineup – Austin Schotts, Javier Betancourt and Raph Rhymes – led the offense, each gathering two hits, while Rhymes added three more RBIs, increasing his team-leading total to 42. Willy Adames also added a triple in the seventh inning to extend hit hitting streak to eight games. During the streak, Adames is batting .476 with eight runs and eight RBIs.
West Michigan took the lead in the bottom of the first and maintained it throughout the game. Schotts started the offensive attack with a leadoff double and scored on a base hit by Rhymes. In the second inning, the ‘Caps had two runners on with two outs when Bennett Pickar, Schotts and Betancourt strung together three-consecutive run-scoring singles to give West Michigan a 4-0 lead.
Bowling Green responded by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to make it 4-2, but Rhymes drove in two runs with a single to give the Whitecaps their second four-run lead with a 6-2 score.
Pat Leyland added a run-scoring single in the fifth and Adames tripled and later scored in the seventh. The Hot Rods added a few late runs late but couldn’t overcome the deficit, losing by a final score of 8-5.
Jon Maciel (4-3) earned the win for West Michigan, striking out six without allowing a walk while giving up eight hits and two runs.
Scott Sitz added an inning of relief before Montreal Robertson (6) pitched the final three innings to close out the series sweep and earning the save. Despite allowing two runs in the ninth inning to end his scoreless inning streak at 12 innings, Robertson earned his first save since May 6.
Bowling Green starting pitcher Jorge Rodriguez (2-5) took the loss for the Hot Rods, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings.
The Whitecaps continue their seven-game homestand at Fifth Third Ballpark on Tuesday night with a 7:00 p.m. first pitch against the Lansing Lugnuts. LHP Kevin Ziomek (6-5, 2.40) is scheduled to pitch for the Whitecaps against RHP Chase De Jong (0-4, 4.62) of the Lugnuts.
