By: Max Gun

The Battle Creek Bombers were one strike away from sweeping the Kenosha Kingfish Thursday night at C.O. Brown Stadium.

But then the Kingfish (6-4) exploded for five straight and hits and five runs off of Alex Vargas (Monroe College) in the ninth inning to beat the Bombers by a final score of 8-4.

Kingfish catcher Jake Whiting (Montevallo) led off the ninth inning with a walk, and advanced to third base on a double by Nolan Lodden (Valparaiso) with nobody out. Mitch Gasborro (Eastern Illinois) then hit a shallow fly ball to center field, but it wasn’t deep enough to score Whiting at third base. Then leadoff man Jack Sundberg (UCONN) struck out looking for the second out, and Nick Sergakis (Ohio State), was intentionally walked to load the bases after hitting a home run earlier in the game. With the bases loaded with Kingfish and down to their final strike, Alex Borglin (Central Michigan) singled to left field to score two runs. Hunter Alexander (St. Johns River State) followed up with another single to score another, before Zach Weigel (Seaton Hall) tripled down the right field line to score Alexander. The Kingfish got their final run on a passed ball.

Min Hsia (National Taiwan Sports University) started for the Bombers, and he was sharp through five innings pitched, despite giving up three runs. He made one bad pitch, and it was to Sergakis who gave the Kingfish a 3-1 with his 2-run shot in the fifth.

The Bombers tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of fifth, as Charlie Madden (Mercer) hit a 2-run home run of his own to straight away center field in his Bombers debut. That completed the scoring for the Battle Creek.

Edgar Sanchez (Cedar Valley College) bounded back nicely out of the bullpen for the Bombers after being roughed up by Rochester in his previous appearance. Michael Peterson (Riverside City College) threw an impressive eighth inning, striking out two before handing the ball over to Vargas.

Brett Shimanovsky (St. Louis) closed the door for the Kingfish in the bottom of the ninth pitching a 1-2-3 inning.

The Bombers (5-5) now hit the road for an all-Wisconsin eight-game road trip. They’ll face Lakeshore, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Wisconsin Rapids.

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