Published on August 16, 2025 under Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
FORT WAYNE, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, but couldn’t complete the comeback, as the Fort Wayne TinCaps escaped with a 3-0 shutout win in front of a series-high 7,570 fans Saturday night at Parkview Field.
The Whitecaps managed just two hits going into the ninth inning when Austin Murr, Jack Penney, and Patrick Lee strung together three-straight base hits to load the bases with two outs before Woody Hadeen flew out to right field – ending their comeback hopes. In addition, West Michigan was snake bitten by 11 strikeouts while finishing 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position in the loss.
The Whitecaps left five runners on base through the first four innings before Fort Wayne broke the scoreless tie in the fourth on an RBI triple from catcher Brendan Durfee, taking the 1-0 edge. West Michigan struggled to generate any offense past the fourth inning, managing just one hit through the eighth. Meanwhile, Whitecaps reliever Matt Stil took over for starting pitcher Joe Miller in the fifth, tossing two scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts before fellow reliever Moises Rodriguez struck out the side in the seventh to keep the deficit at 1-0. The TinCaps broke through with a pair of runs in the eighth, as first baseman Lamar King Jr. added an RBI single before a wild pitch allowed Rosman Verdugo to cross the plate, expanding their edge to 3-0. The Whitecaps then loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth before TinCaps closer Nick Wissman induced a flyout to stop the rally and send the Whitecaps to the 3-0 shutout loss.
The Whitecaps fall to 33-14 in the second half and 77-35 overall, while the TinCaps improve to 21-26 in the second half and 52-60 overall. Miller (7-3) suffers his third loss, allowing just one run through four innings of work. TinCaps reliever Harry Gustin (4-2) secures his fourth win of the season, tossing three scoreless frames with three punchouts, while Wissman earns his second save, pitching two shutout innings with three strikeouts. The Whitecaps 3-0 shutout loss to the TinCaps is only the fourth time they’ve been shutout this season, and the first time they’ve failed to score a run since June 6 when they fell 3-0 to the Lake County Captains at LMCU Ballpark.
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