By Luke Tanaka, Radio Broadcaster

Battle Creek, Mich. – The Battle Creek Bombers had their four-game win streak snapped in a 5-1 loss to the Rochester Honkers Monday night at C.O. Brown Stadium. 

Four Bombers errors, including two in a three-run Rochester fourth inning, and lights out Honkers pitching, doomed the home team. 

The Honkers struck first in the second inning as Alex Shultz (Nebraska-Omaha) singled, stole second, and scored on a groundout to give Rochester a 1-0 lead. 

Messy fielding from the Bombers in the fourth allowed Rochester to take a 4-0 advantage. The inning started with a ball getting under the glove of second baseman Christian Helsel (Penn State). Shultz followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Both runners scored as a ball went off the glove of a fully stretched Tyler Walsh (Belmont) in left field. The Honkers loaded the bases on Bombers starter Edgar Sanchez (Cedar Valley College), but the right-hander got out of the inning by forcing Trey Kamachi (Nebraska-Omaha) to pop out to Helsel. 

Walsh put the Bombers on the board in the home half of the fourth with a long home run to left field, but that was the only Battle Creek extra-base hit of the night. 

Rochester scored one more in the sixth without recording a hit. Sam Hall (Dixie State) reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced to third on Helsel’s second error, and scored on a wild pitch. 

Battle Creek’s leadoff hitter reached base in each of the last four innings, but the Bombers could not advance any of them beyond second base in the loss. 

Greg Jakusik (Stevens Institute of Technology) recorded the win, pitching 5 2-3 innings, giving up three hits, including the Walsh home run, ands striking out six. Matt Fielder (Minnesota) and Spencer Greer (Dixie State) closed the door for Rochester. 

Sanchez took the loss, giving up four runs (two earned) over four innings. Alex Vargas (Monroe College) gave up one unearned run in two innings of relief, while Kaleb McCurry (Mars Hill University) threw three innings of shutout ball (two hits, one strikeout). 

The Bombers look for the split tomorrow when they wrap up the interleague series with a 10:05 a.m. start tomorrow. It is also Education Day presented by Marshall Community Credit Union. Every ticket is just $5.00 for all students.

The Battle Creek Bombers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). For more information, visit www.battlecreekbombers.com.

(Story photo courtesy of Battle Creek Photography and Design – Levi Green)