By Sedric Granger
Kokomo, IN – The Battle Creek Battle Jacks (15-25) smoked the Kokomo Jackrabbits (14-26), 8-0, winning their fourth game in a row at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.
The pitching staff and defense amassed their second shutout win of the series. Tyler McKinstry (Davenport University) got the start and provided five scoreless innings on the mound, earning his first win of the season. After the solid start, each of the relief pitchers each carried on the shut out well. Ryan Wilwers (MidAmerican Nazarene) struck out six in two and two thirds innings. Jake Jekielek finished off the 8th inning for Battle Creek (Northwood University). Lastly, Tre Benjamin (Western Illinois) completed the shutout with one scoreless inning of work, striking out two Jackrabbits.
The Battle Jacks bats provided a balanced attack where many players contributed. Riley Silva (Nebraska) and Spencer Verburg (Central Michigan) each scored three times on the night with one base hit and a pair of walks. In addition, Brock Daniels (Missouri), Jake Allgeyer (Western Illinois), and Luke Cheng (Illinois State) each finished the day with a base hit. The offense was complemented by 18 free passes from Kokomo, including 14 walks and four hit by pitches. Overall, Battle Creek made some good plays of their own while taking advantage of some crucial Jackrabbits mistakes.
With this win, the Battle Jacks win their season-high 4th game in a row. In addition, Battle Creek remains in 1st place in the second half of the season with an impressive 5-1 record. The Battle Jacks will look to sweep the five-game series against Kokomo (1-5 Second Half Record) on Sunday.
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The Battle Creek Battle Jacks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.battlejacksbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set Battle Creek as your favorite team.
