BATTLE CREEK, MI., – The Bombers played a triple header against the Traverse City Pit Spitters on Sunday, June 27 that included a game that was suspended two and a half weeks ago on June 9 and two seven inning games. They lost game one 7-5, won game two 4-2, then lost the finale 7-1.

The first game resumed in the bottom of the third with a 5-0 lead for Traverse City. The Bombers would out hit the Pit Spitters 10-8 and out score them 5-2 in the last seven innings. Jacob McKeon produced the big hit for the Bombers with a three RBI double in the fifth inning to make it 6-4. Then, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Caleb Balgaard came up with the bases loaded and two outs. He would line one into right field and Tito Flores would make a diving catch for the final out. If the ball got by Flores, it could have potentially given Battle Creek the lead. Traverse City would hold on for the 7-5 victory.

Battle Creek jumped out to the two-run lead in the bottom of the second in game two. Harold Coll drove in Mason Sykes on an RBI single, then McKeon scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. The Pit Spitters however tied it up in the next half inning. The first home run hit at C. O. Brown Stadium since 2019 was for the road team. Adam Proctor hit a solo home run, then Jake Arnold scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. In the bottom of the fifth, Battle Creek took the lead for good. Sykes lined a single into left field that scored Jack Merrifield and Balgaard to make it 4-2 Bombers. Zach Williams pitches two scoreless innings to shut the door and earn the save.

Game three started off right for Battle Creek. An RBI single for Aaron Beck scored Ed Johnson and the Bombers were up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. That is when Traverse City had their big inning of the day. Four runs in the top of the second gave the Pit Spitters a 4-1 lead. A wild pitch scored Chris Monroe, Camden Traficante hit an RBI single to score Miles Simington, then a ground out with an E3 scored Traficante and Christian Faust. A run in the fourth and two in the seventh gave Traverse City the 7-1 lead and the 2-1 series victory in the triple header.

The Bombers move to 9-17 on the year. They head to Rockford on Monday to start a four-game road trip with the Rivets. The marathon of baseball lasted around seven hours and showcased 20 innings.

By Josh Baker