KALAMAZOO, MI., — XX
GAME ONE
In the first, the Bombers looked to take advantage of a struggling Andrew Taylor who walked the first two batters and hit the third. After those three, Taylor was replaced by Dane Armbrustmacher who allowed just one run, as he forced Joe Mason to ground into a double play. On the sequence, Seth Tucker scored. The next batter, Bradley Goulet then flew out to end the inning, as the Bombers took a 1-0 lead.
The Mac Daddies were primed to respond in the bottom of the second, as they had runners on first and second with nobody out. Despite that, Christian Grigsby retired the next three batters and the score remained 1-0.
In the third inning, Nate Stolze led off with a bang, as he hit a solo homerun to extend the lead to two.
The following half inning, the Mac Daddies tied the game at two via a handful of Bomber’ blunders. Brock Boynton led off with a double and later scored on a poor pickoff move by Grigsby which got by John Malcom. Right after Boynton’s double, Kyle Ashworth reached on an error by Malcom. Ashworth scored on single by Connor McGuire.
Battle Creek retook its lead in the top of the fourth on the second homerun of the afternoon. TJ McKenzie drove the ball deep into the Miller Lite Bear Trap in leftfield for a 3-2 lead.
The Bombers extended their lead in the top of the fifth, scoring two runs. Stolze led off with a walk and eventually crossed home after Justin Van De Brake (Washington State University) hit a ball into the right-centerfield gap for a double. The very next batter sent Van De Brake home, as Mason matched Van De Brake with an RBI double of his own.
Grigsby worked a complete game in his longest appearance of the season. He ended the day allowing two runs off six hits and two walks. Grigsby added a season-high seven strikeouts.
Taylor started for the Mac Daddies but could not record an out, as Sean Allison was named the losing pitcher. He worked two innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two homeruns.
GAME TWO
Game two saw some more pop in the bats from the Battle Creek Bombers, matching their homerun total of two from game one.
The Bombers and Mac Daddies were held scoreless through two after good starts from Kalamazoo’s Jack Huisman and Battle Creek’s Keith Carpenter.
The third is when the scoring started. Bombers’ third basemen Josh Swinehart sent one into the night sky with two outs, a solo shot that put Battle Creek on top. The Mac Daddies matched it in their half of the third, on a Garrett Navarra fielder’s choice scoring Kyle Ashworth. After three, it was knotted at one.
The scoring continued for both teams in the fourth, each team pushing across another run. In the Bombers’ half, Justin Van De Brake teed off to start the fourth, the second homer of the game and fourth overall of the night for BC.
The Mac Daddies did it unconventionally in their home half, Stuart Weyrich scoring on a balk from Bombers pitcher Drew Szczepaniak. After four it was tied again, 2-2.
The away half of the fifth is where the Bombers scored the winning run, with Seth Tucker scoring on a pass ball behind Kalamazoo catcher Kyle Nott. The Mac Daddies couldn’t even it in the fifth, and took the second loss of the night and their sixth straight loss overall.
Drew Szczepaniak picked up the win tonight for the Bombers, moving to 3-0 on the season.
The Bombers look to pick up where they left off tomorrow against the Growlers, playing three 5-inning games at Homer Stryker Field. Game times 2:30, 5:15, and 8 P.M.
