Ben Jacobs turned in the kind of outing West Michigan needed most, and the Whitecaps backed it with a big night at the plate to stay in the playoff chase with a 14-6 win over the Dayton Dragons on Wednesday.
Jacobs, a 22-year-old left-hander, was sharp from the start. Dayton tagged him for a two-run homer in the bottom of the third, but that was the only real damage in five innings. He finished with 10 strikeouts and no walks while allowing five hits and two earned runs, giving the Whitecaps exactly the kind of steady start they had to have.
West Michigan gave him support early. Stephen Hrustich opened the scoring in the top of the third with a solo home run, then Bryce Rainer singled before Edian Espinal drove one to the center-field wall for an RBI triple. Beau Ankeney followed with a double to bring Espinal home, and the Whitecaps were up 3-0 before Dayton answered in the bottom half.
The game swung back West Michigan’s way in the sixth. Ankeney doubled again, Cristian Santana launched a two-run homer to left, and the inning kept rolling from there. Walks to Jackson Strong and Samuel Gil helped set the table, Carson Rucker forced Gil at second, and Nolan McCarthy singled in Strong to stretch the lead to 6-2.
Dayton scored once in the bottom of the sixth, but the Whitecaps kept piling on. Santana reached on an error to start the eighth, Strong walked again, and Juan Hernandez crushed a three-run homer to center. West Michigan added another run in the inning to make it 10-3.
They weren’t done. In the ninth, Espinal reached on an error by Dayton’s left fielder and took third on the play before Ankeney singled him in. Strong drew yet another walk, and after Hernandez flied out, Carson Rucker lined a three-run homer just inside the right-field line to push the margin to 14-3.
Ethan Sloan allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but by then the Whitecaps had already put it away.
Ankeney finished 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBIs and two doubles. Espinal went 2-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and two triples.
The win keeps West Michigan 1.5 games behind Great Lakes for a playoff spot with four games left, though the Loons also won Wednesday.
Elsewhere, the Erie SeaWolves fell 8-6 to Somerset, though they still hold a good playoff position with nine games remaining. Somerset jumped on Max Alba for four runs in the first, and Dariel Fregio came in to settle things down.
Izaac Pacheco hit his 20th homer of the season in the second, and Erie fought back to tie it in the third on a two-run double by Zyhir Hope and a two-run homer from E.J. Exposito, his 23rd of the year.
Colin Fields gave up a run in the fifth, helped in part by a bad pickoff throw of his own, and Moises Rodriguez allowed two more in the ninth as Somerset pulled away. Erie did get a run back when Peyton Graham walked, advanced on defensive indifference and scored on an error, but it wasn’t enough.
The Toledo Mud Hens rolled past Indianapolis 11-2 behind a big seventh inning and a strong start from Carl Edwards Jr., while the Hens took advantage of eight walks to blow it open. Edwards Jr. allowed one run in the first, then settled in for four scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Toledo led 3-1 through five before scoring seven in the seventh, with Max Burt’s grand slam providing the knockout punch.
Coming up, Erie returns to action Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET.
West Michigan’s Thursday game is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, and Cameron Flukey’s final start of the season will have to wait after Wednesday’s rainout.
The Whitecaps will try to make that game up with a doubleheader on Friday. LHP Caleb Leys has been moved to the development list, and RHP Jhonan Coba has been activated by the Flying Tigers.
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