From the Notes - August 6th

South Bend Silver Hawks (18-20 Second Half, 45-61 Overall)
vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (24-15 Second Half, 67-42 Overall)

Fifth Third Ballpark, Grand Rapids, Michigan – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 10-4 Whitecaps
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-2 Tie
@ Fifth Third Ballpark: 8-2 Whitecaps
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Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .246 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.93 ERA – 8th
Whitecaps Team Hitting: .275 – 1st
Whitecaps Team Pitching: 3.42 ERA – 3rd
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LAST GAME: Casey Crosby (WP, 9-4) and two relievers combined to hold the Silver Hawks to just three hits as West Michigan shut out the Silver Hawks 3-0 on Wednesday night. Crosby threw 6.0 scoreless innings, while Victor Larez (ND) had two perfect innings and Tyler Stohn (SV, 17) stranded two runners in the ninth. Ben Guez homered in the first, his tenth of the season, as the only run the Whitecaps would need. Jordan Lennerton added two RBIs for the Whitecaps, who picked up their second shutout in the series. Taylor Sinclair (LP, 3-5) was the tough luck loser for South Bend, allowing two runs in 6.0 innings.
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PLAYOFF CHASE (31 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 1.5. South Bend and Dayton are tied for the Wild Card spot, with Lansing 2.0 back.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Clinton leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
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TEAM NOTES:
· West Michigan has shut out the Hawks twice in this series (Monday and Wednesday). South Bend blanked WM on Tuesday night.
· South Bend has only scored in two of 27 innings in this series. West Michigan has scored in four of their 26 at-bats.
· The remaining 31 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents, including five more games at West Michigan.
· The Whitecaps have clinched the season series with South Bend, winning 10 of 14 with five still to go.
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INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Jake Elmore went 3-for-4 Tuesday night, extending his hitting streak to four games (one shy of his season high).
· Justin Mace hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14.0 innings pitched (2nd longest on team in 09).