The Battle Creek Bombers took on the Kalamazoo Mac Daddies twice tonight, for games 40 and 41 of the summer.
GAME 1
The bats were cold game 1 for BC, only tallying two hits in five innings. The Bombers’ first hit of the night came with two outs in the fourth, a single off the bat of TJ McKenzie. Just an inning later, Battle Creek tallied number two, a leadoff single from Matt Hogan. The two hits couldn’t plate any runs.
Kalamazoo found their offense for game one in one inning, that inning being a five run third inning. The Mac Daddies strung together six straight base hits, all with one out. Kenton Crews started the rally with a single, later scoring off the bat of Kyle Ashworth. The last two runs came across on a Shawn Goosenberg single, scoring Garrett Navarra and Northwestern teammate Anthony Calarco. After the third, it was 5-0 Daddies.
The Mac Daddies had a strong performance from starter Andrew Taylor on the mound. Taylor went the full five innings, allowing only two hits and striking out four in the effort.
Battle Creek dropped game one, 5-0.
GAME 2
The second game of the night started better for the Bombers, and they took advantage of an early error to score first. Joe Mason led off the home half of the first with reaching base on a dropped fly ball by Mac Daddies first baseman Anthony Calarco. Then two batters later, Justin Van De Brake roped a double into the left center gap to score Mason. After the first the Bombers led 1-0.
Battle Creek doubled their lead in the bottom of the second, Michael Morissette driving home Matt Hogan on a sacrifice fly. After two it was 2-0 Battle Creek.
The bats stayed active for BC in their half of the third, plating two more runs. John Malcom drove home Seth Tucker on a single back up the middle, followed by Justin Van De Brake scoring on a balk from Mac Daddies pitching Jake Carrol.
In the top of the fourth, Kalamazoo broke into the scoring column themselves. Shawn Goosenberg led off with a single, and reached third on a pickoff error from BC pitcher Christian Grigsby. Anthony Calarco drove Goosenberg home on a groundout.
That would be the final run scored on the night, Battle Creek securing a 4-1 victory. Starter Christian Grigsby threw his third straight complete game, this one going for his fifth victory of the season.
The Bombers move to one and a half games back of the Kalamazoo Growlers in the pod standings, and sit at 22-17-2 overall. They play next this Saturday in a triple header against the Growlers at 2:30, 5:15, and 8 P.M.
