Neal Tyrell takes an at-bat for Rockford, who fell to Madison 11-3 on Thursday. Photo Courtesy of Doug Timmermann and JK Richards Photography.
LOVES PARK, Ill. – Rockford pitching has had some issues with the Madison Mallards’ bats this season.
After blowing out the Rivets at Madison 19-5 on June 7th, the Mallards teed off on Rivets pitcher Jeffrey Barton (Illinois State) early in Wednesday night’s game as they cruised to an 11-3 win. Mallards pitcher Matt Horkey (UNC-Charlotte) held Rockford to three runs, none of which were earned, as he got the victory for Madison (6-9).
Barton (1-2) had a rough start. In the 1st inning, he walked Nick Schrader (Western Illinois) and gave up a double to Cole Daily (Notre Dame) before Jeffrey Mitchell Jr. (California) went deep to left field. Kian O’Brien also scored in the 1st and Schrader scored his second run of the night in the 2nd inning to give Madison a 5-0 lead early in the game.
After the 2nd, Barton settled down and did not give up any more runs. The offense finally gave him some support in the 4th, and the game looked as if it might be within reach. Bren Spillane (Illinois), Zach Rheams (Texas Tech), and Neal Tyrell (Lewis) all scored in the frame to come within two runs of Madison, 5-3.
Unfortunately, the Rockford bullpen could not keep the game within reach. Brad Littleton (Indiana) gave up three runs in the 6th and Madison took an 8-3 lead. Rockford could not manage much offense late in the game to keep up with Madison. After the 6th inning, the Rivets as a team only had one hit, and Madison added three more runs in top of the 9th inning to pull away from Rockford (9-7).
Today, the Rivets finished their six-game home stand. The Rivets return to Rockford on Tuesday, June 20th as part of a home and away double-header against Madison. The first pitch is at 6:35 p.m. and gates open at 5:35 p.m. On Wednesday, June 21st, the Rivets have another Weiner Wednesday! There will be $1 hot dogs during the game. Tyler’s Amazing Balancing Act will be performing during the game. Don’t forget to order your Rivets tickets today by calling the Rockford Rivets ticket office at 815.240.4159.
The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League, which will play its 24th season of summer collegiate baseball in 2017. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, 170 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals), two-time World Champion Ben Zobrist (Chicago Cubs) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox), Jordan Zimmermann (Detroit Tigers), Curtis Granderson (New York Mets) and Lucas Duda (Mets). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website, NorthwoodsLeague.com.
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