By Nicholas Giannone | June 3rd, 2026
BATTLE CREEK — The Battle Creek Battle Jacks lost to the Traverse City Pit Spitters on Wednesday, 12-4, while splitting the series.
The Pit Spitters came out of the gates firing in the second inning, with a leadoff home run from Josh Stonehouse, followed by a sacrifice fly to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Battle Jacks struck back in the bottom half of the third, as Thomas Cooper’s RBI single cut the lead in half to make it a 2-1 game.
The top of the fourth saw the Pit Spitter regain their two-run lead off a shallow single to right field from Caleb Mallory.
The fifth inning saw the Pit Spitters add another run to extend the lead to 4-1, off an RBI double from Aaron Grant; however, the Battle Jacks came firing back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs to narrow the lead down to one to make it a 4-3 game off Thomas Cooper’s third RBI of the contest.
The Pit Spitters broke the game open in the sixth inning, loading the bases on two different occasions and scoring eight runs. Traverse City capitalized on three walks, an RBI single, a sacrifice fly, and a three-RBI double to extend its lead to 12-3.
The Battle Jacks added two more runs at the bottom of the seventh to make it a 12-4 game.
The Pit Spitters extended the lead in the ninth off an RBI double from Zach Carlson to take a 14-4 lead.
The Battle Jacks ended the night with seven hits and two errors.
The Battle Jacks are back in action on Thursday as they host the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters for a two game set.
About the Battle Jacks & the Northwoods League
The Battle Creek Battle Jacks are a proud 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. Entering its 33rd season, the 26-team Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history, drawing significantly more fans in a more friendly ballpark experience than any league of its kind.
A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 410 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR); two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford; World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL); 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (BAL); and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM).
