KALAMAZOO, MI., – Battle Creek drops their eighth straight game after a 4-3 walk-off loss in Kalamazoo Tuesday night.
The scoring started in the second as Miguel Larreal was hit by a pitch, Ed Johnson singled, and then Mason Sykes blasted a three-run home run into the left field patio section. Sykes would be the best bat for the Bombers going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and three RBI.
Jack Gee started on the mound for Battle Creek and had his stuff working well. Kalamazoo scored one in the bottom of second on an RBI double by Devin Burkes, but besides that, Gee wouldn’t allow another run in his outing. However, the appearance was cut short in the third due to an injury to Gee’s throwing arm. This is the second straight game for Battle Creek that their starter was pulled due to an injury.
Kalamazoo started to claw back in the bottom of the fifth. Luke Storm recorded an RBI single after a single and a walk to start the inning to make it 3-2 Battle Creek. Then, Anthony Calarco would score on a delayed double steal of home that erased the base runner at first.
Adam Davis would throw three and two thirds innings in relief of Gee and would strike out two while allowing two runs on four hits. New addition Justin King pitched a perfect inning in the bottom of the 7th to keep it tied. Davis Burgin took the mound in the eighth trying to keep the score tied. He stranded two on base in the eighth after a walk and a hit-by-pitch and gave Battle Creek the chance in the ninth.
Sykes started the ninth with a double and Blake Bean came in to pinch run. Sy Snedeker moved Bean to third with a sacrifice bunt and the go-ahead run was 90 feet away. Stephen Krause would be hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners with one out. Then, in the at-bat to Jack Merrifield, Krause would be picked off first base, and the next pitch was a dropped third strike with the play being made a first base to keep the game tied.
Blake Dunn walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Brooks Coetzee laid the sacrifice bunt down to move Dunn to second. Battle Creek would intentionally walk Anthony Calarco and then Luke Storm would walk to load the bases. Burgin would strike out Stephen Cullen for the second out of the inning. The game looked like it was going to extras unitl Damon Lux lined a ball off of Burgin on the mound. Ed Johnson charged the deflection but Lux just beat the throw to first and the winning run came into score.
The Bombers fall to 7-14 overall and start a seven game homestand as they welcome the Kenosha Kingfish to town. Game one of the series is set for 6:35 PM Wednesday night at C. O. Brown Stadium.
By Josh Baker
