By Sedric Granger

The Battle Creek Battle Jacks (24-42, 14-18) went 1-3 on their final multi-game road trip of the season. Battle Creek split with the Kenosha Kingfish at Simmons Field and were swept by the Rockford Rivets at Rivets Stadium.

Game 1: Battle Creek 1, Kenosha 6

Jt Sokolove (Illinois State) hit his second home run of the season on a solo shot in the top of the first inning, giving the Jacks an early advantage.

After the first inning, the Kingfish stifled the Battle Jacks the rest of the game, yielding only seven total hits while striking out the Dogs eight times.

Game 2: Battle Creek 11, Kenosha 4

In front of a road crowd of 3000, The Battle Jacks got their revenge over Kenosha with a wire-to-wire victory. 

Jake Allgeyer (Southern Illinois) had one of his best games of the season, registering a season high for RBI with five. To go along with his 5 RBI, Allgeyer set the tone on offense, finishing two-for-five at the plate with a double and a run scored. Riley Silva (Nebraska) and Jay Adams (Concordia) made huge impacts on offense as well. Silva and Adams each finished three-for-five at the plate with a trio of runs scored. They also each gave the Kingfish fits on the base paths with two stolen bases by Adams and one swiped bag by Silva. 

Ryan Wilwers (MidAmerica Nazarene) had his best start of the season on the mound, pitching a quality start. Wilwers registered season highs in both innings pitched with six-and-a-third and strikeouts with seven while only giving up two earned runs and impressively walking no batters. With some excellent run support behind him, Wilwers earned his first win of the 2023 campaign. Zacheriah Frasher (St. Peters) also made a big impact out of the bullpen, coming just a third of an inning short of earning a save. Frasher contributed well to the 10-strikeout day with three punch outs on the hill. 

The Battle Jacks never trailed in this game from start to finish. The Blue and White especially excelled at sustaining offense across innings, totaling at least one run in seven out of the nine innings of the game. Battle Creek’s slugging percentage was through the roof for this game. Out of their 12 total hits, five of them came on doubles. 

The Battle Jacks finish off the season 6-6 against the Kingfish. This was a season series with a lot of memorable moments for both sides, especially for the Dogs. Battle Creek had two walk-off victories and a pair of extra innings wins against Kenosha this season.

Game 3: Battle Creek 1, Rockford 16 

For the second time this season, the Battle Jacks lost by 14 or more runs to the Rivets.

Aside from an RBI from Coltrane Rubner (Davenport) driving in Jt Sokolove in the 6th inning, the Battle Jacks got little going offensively with only one run on six hits. On the contrary, the Rivets lit up the scoreboard with 12 total hits. Rockford also benefited off of 12 walks by Battle Creek’s pitching staff. This turned base hits that would only score one run into base hits that would drive in two or three runs, allowing Rockford to build a big lead early. 

Game 4: Battle Creek 3, Kenosha 9

Battle Creek’s struggles at Rivets Stadium continued once again. Overall, the Jacks went 0-6 in Rockford with an average margin of defeat of eight runs. 

After falling behind by two runs early, the Battle Jacks found the equalizer in the second inning. Coltrane Rubner scored on a bases-loaded walk by Nikolas Clark (Davenport). In addition, Riley Silva hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Jay Adams, tying the game 2-2.

Unfortunately for Battle Creek, they were outscored 7-1 the rest of the game. Walks were a problem in this game for the Jacks as well, giving out 9 base on balls throughout the game.

The Battle Jacks’ series against the Rivets was very lopsided this season, going 2-10 against a solid Rockford ball club this year. 

With wins by Kalamazoo and Rockford over this most recent four-game stretch, Battle Creek is officially eliminated from the playoff race. Despite that fact, the Battle Jacks have shown great improvement in this second half of the season. The Dogs have the opportunity to finish the season strong, playing five of their final six games at home. Battle Creek starts their final stretch against Traverse City on Monday.

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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.