The Midwest League's best hitting team proved again why they hold that label. The West Michigan Whitecaps pounded Fort Wayne TinCaps pitching for an 8-3 victory on Friday evening at Parkview Field and took the four-game series by winning three.

The Whitecaps (10-3) won the series mostly by their offense, which produced 28 runs and 44 hits. The TinCaps (11-3) allowed only 17 runs when they opened the season by winning 10 straight games.

“They had a good series,” TinCaps manager Doug Dascenzo said. “That's a good club over there. We know we are, too, but they just outplayed us in three of four games.”

A day after allowing a season-high in hits (15) and two days after giving up a season high in runs (10), the TinCaps were shelled for season highs in an inning: home runs (2), hits (5) and tied for runs (4).

The inning was the third and all of the runs came with two outs. Four batters were responsible for the four runs, including a two-run home run by Billy Nowlin, followed by a solo home run by Jordan Lennerton that put West Michigan ahead 5-1.

West Michigan boasts the league's highest batting average (.289), most hits (137), second-fewest strikeouts (91) and three of the top hitters - Brandon Douglas (.432), Nowling (.394) and Jordan Newton (.390). The trio combined for six hits and five RBIs on Friday.

The TinCaps squandered an opportunity to get some runs back in the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with one out, but Andy Parrino lined out to a leaping Douglas at second base. Then Sawyer Carroll smacked a hard line drive that, had it hit a gap, would've scored at least two runs. But he hit right at the left fielder.

“That could've been a real nice spark for us,” Dascenzo said. “We could've got back into the ball game right there.”

The loss spoiled outfielder Jaff Decker's TinCaps debut. The 19-year-old, who is ranked third in the San Diego Padres' farm system by Baseball America, hit a home run in his first at-bat and finished 1-for-3. His father, Kent, was in the crowd of 5,017.

“He wanted to see the first game and we've got some family members up in Michigan,” Decker said. “He's going to make the trip tomorrow (to Great Lakes). It'll be a good weekend. I'm glad he was here to see that.”

Decker was the 42nd pick in the 2008 draft out of Peoria (Ariz.) High School, the same Phoenix suburb that hosts the Padres' Spring Training complex. He spent the past few weeks healing from a concussion he suffered while diving to catch a ball during spring training.

“It was nice to get away from that and play in front of some real fans instead of just my family and friends,” said Decker.

The TinCaps begin a seven-game road trip today when they play the Great Lakes Loons for four games and then the Clinton LumberKings for three before returning home on May 2.