As the final day of the regular season dawns, the Kingfish find themselves just a half game behind the Wisconsin Woodchucks for a slot in the postseason. A Kenosha win in combination with a Wisconsin loss would send the Kingfish to the playoffs, and a subsequent matchup with the rival Lakeshore Chinooks. King Elvis’ crew takes on the Battle Creek Bombers tonight while the Woodchucks will tangle with the Thunder Bay Border Cats. Both games will begin at 5:05pm.
With the season on the line, manager Duffy Dyer turns to SP Callahan Brown to bring home a victory. The junior to-be at UConn has enjoyed a successful second half and enters the game with a 2-1 record. Brown’s best outing of the year came on July 20th when he was named NWL Pitcher of the Night after his five inning, shutout performance against the Madison Mallards. The right-hander has faced today’s opponent, the Bombers, twice before and has done well in both showings. His last appearance against the squad resulted in two innings of shutout ball. Overall, Brown looks to play to his strength of striking out the opposition in an effort to notch a fourth consecutive win for The Fish.
If Kenosha is to keep the playoff hopes alive, they will need production from the offense as well. Last night, the Kingfish did just that. The club posted 10 runs on an evening in which six different batters scored. The key for the Kenosha bats was crooked numbers in the third and eighth innings. In the third, the Kingfish loaded the bases with no outs. After 1B Zach Ratcliff walked, C Alex Dunlap drove in two more on a single. King Elvis’ crew would plate one more in the frame, bringing things to 5-1 entering the fourth. Later on in the eighth, it appeared the Kingfish may need a few insurance runs to close things out. RF Buddy Reed stepped up and blasted a 2-RBI triple to right before scoring on a wild pitch. The effort from the Kenosha lineup in conjunction with a stellar performance from SP Trevor Haas (W, 7 IP, ER, 7 K) produced a final of 10-4 in favor of The Fish.
As part of the final 2014 regular season contest at historic Simmons Field, CCB presents part two of Fan Appreciation Night. Rally towels will be handed out courtesy of CCB, while Kingfish baseballs will be provided by Shiloh for fans. Quantities for both are limited. Bucket Ruckus will also be performing at tonight’s game. Bucket Ruckus is a percussion ensemble that uses everyday materials to put on a visual and auditory show for everyone in attendance.
If the Kingfish do qualify for the playoffs, they will host the Lakeshore Chinooks in game two of a best of three series on Tuesday, August 12th. Ticket information can be found by calling or visiting the Kingfish Ticket Office (262-653-0900).
