Whitecaps drop playoff opener, 5-3

Thu, Sep 4, 2008    to del.icio.us

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — South Bend used a pair of first round draft picks to retire 16 Whitecaps batters in a row during an error-plagued 5-3 victory over West Michigan.

The Silver Hawks hold a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three first round playoff series.

Game 2 will be held at Fifth Third Ballpark tonight, while Game 3, if necessary, will be in Grand Rapids Friday.

West Michigan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on RBI singles by Chris Carlson and Jordan Newton.

In the bottom of the first, three Whitecaps errors led to four South Bend runs (three unearned runs) against ace pitcher Jon Kibler.

West Michigan retaliated with a single run in the top of the second on an RBI single by Justin Henry. That hit trimmed the score to 4-3, but the Whitecaps could get no closer.

Jarrod Parker, who was the Diamondbacks first round draft choice in 2007, retired the last 13 Whitecaps batters he faced with six total innings pitched. The 2008 first round pick of Arizona, Daniel Schlereth relieved Parker and retired three in a row to start his outing.

But to open the eighth, third baseman Eli Rumler committed the fifth of six South Bend errors on the night.

Schlereth went on to set down the next three in a row and strand Henry at third base.

Jordan Newton led off the top of the ninth with a double to account for the only West Michigan hit after the second inning. Audy Ciriaco then reached on an error with one out.

However, Clay Zavada induced a ground ball double play off the bat of Roger Tomas to end the game.

South Bend scored its last run in the fifth thanks to one of five errors committed by the Whitecaps.

Kibler pitched four innings and allowed all five runs (four earned) while Paul Nardozzi threw four shutout innings of relief.

Sean Coughlin was 4-for-4 for the Hawks with two RBI.