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By: Pat Mullen
Battle Creek, Mich. – The homestand did not end the way the Bombers had hoped as the Chinooks split the two game series in impressive fashion.
Lakeshore jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead after two and never looked back, knocking Kyle Slack (Toledo) from the game and going on to win 14-2.
“Yeah it was a rough start (for Slack),” Coach Robinson said. “He had some cramping in his arm with some muscle spasms and needed to get that checked out so he came out.”
Slack had been solid all year for Battle Creek and experienced his first real struggle on the mound of the 2014 Northwoods League season.
It was not just Slack who found difficulty at C.O. Brown as the bats were shut down as well.
The bats were quiet, just getting a few hits and only scoring one run going into the ninth, before an in-the-park home run from Connor Panas (Canisius).
Once Slack had to leave with shoulder spasms, it was going to be rough on Battle Creek as their pitch staff is depleted at the moment.
Dillion Engle (Chicago State) did a good job in relief, but ran into trouble before he was taken out. In for Dillion were back-to-back position players, as Bryan Daniello (UConn) and Laz Rivera (Miami) pitched in the 6th and 7th inning.
The Bombers finished their seven game home stand 5-2 (5-3 if you consider the away game at Kalamazoo). They now head to Madison to start an eight day, nine game road trip, including a double header tomorrow.
First pitch in Madison of game one is 11 AM Eastern Time.
Game Notes:
Bryan Daniello: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 K
Laz Rivera: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 K
Dillion Engle: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
(LP) Kyle Slack: (2-2): 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB (season ERA 3.06)
Connor Panas: 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R
Cody Kuzniczci: 2-2, 2B, BB, RBI
Coach Robinson on upcoming road trip:
“You have to think positive and flush this lost. I mean it happens, its baseball. Right when we get back on the road tomorrow, it’s a new day. Here we go.”
Daniello on pitching:
“Last time I pitched in a real game was the last game of high school my senior year. It was definitely interesting, we had two pitchers that were up tonight so after they were done we knew that they might need us and I was all excited because I love pitching so I was excited to go out there.”
“I felt alright. I was trying to throw strikes and left some down the middle just from not pitching in two and a half years but I got my curveball working a bit and a little bit of the slider and I got a strikeout which was nice.”
Laz Rivera on pitching and upcoming road trip:
“Probably last time I pitched in a real game was junior year of high school.”
“(Discussing the two run homerun he gave up) It is college baseball, if you make a mistake, you are going to pay for it, but besides that it was fun getting back on the mound.”
“It is going to have to come down to the hitting and seeing the ball better. The pitching has always been there all year so it will have to come down to the hitting.”
The Battle Creek Bombers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). For more information, visit http://www.battlecreekbombers.com”
