MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -CEDAR RAPIDS, IA Left fielder Brent Wyatts RBI single in the top of the 15^th inning gave the West Michigan Whitecaps (15-5) a 6-5 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels (10-11) in the longest game of the Caps 2009 season. The win in the series finale enabled the Caps to claim the series, 2-1, as West Michigan has won every series theyve played in this year.

 

In the fifteenth, SS Gustavo Nunez led off with a triple. Wyatt sliced a line drive to right, and the Whitecaps had their third lead of the game. Reliever Tyler Conn (1-0) collected his first win with the team as he worked the fourteenth and fifteenth innings.

 

Casey Crosby started for the Whitecaps, but reliever Matt Hoffman turned in the days longest stint on the mound. Crosby threw 4 innings, allowing 6 hits and 4 earned runs. He struck out 6 and walked two. Hoffman entered the game in relief in the fifth, and he continued to throw through the 12^th inning. Over that span, Hoffman did not allow a run while giving up 4 hits and striking out five. He demonstrated amazing control by not walking any hitters in his time on the hill.

The Whitecaps and the Kernels scored three runs apiece in the fourth inning. Cedar Rapids moved ahead, 4-3, in the fifth when Alexi Amarista singled home Darwin Perez.

 

West Michigan answered in the seventh. A sacrifice fly to center by Bryan Pounds brought home CF Ben Guez, and the game was tied at four.

 

Still tied in the thirteenth, the Whitecaps edged ahead 5-4 on Brandon Douglass home plate collision with Anel De Los Santos after Bryan Pounds had doubled.

 

Cedar Rapids put up one final tally in the bottom half of the thirteenth to tie the game as Gabe Jacobo pushed home Matt Crawford with an RBI hit.

 

Both teams had plenty of base runners throughout the game. Cedar Rapids and West Michigan each had 13 hits, with the two teams combining to leave 27 runners on base. Caps catcher Joe Bowen led the offense with 3 hits, including a triple, and 2 RBI. Brandon Douglas, Bryan Pounds, and Jordan Lennerton all had two hits in the game.

 

The Whitecaps will travel to Burlington, IA for a weekend series with the Bees. Caps right hander Luke Putkonen gets the start in game one which is scheduled to begin on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. EST.

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