By Luke Tanaka, Radio Broadcaster

Battle Creek, Mich. – Trek Stemp and Dan Swain led the Battle Creek offense as the Bombers tied their season-high with ten runs and knocked around a season-best 14 hits to win their third straight over the Kenosha Kingfish. 

In the 10-5 win, the final five batters in the Battle Creek lineup went 9-for-17 with three walks, eight runs scored, and six RBIs. Stemp (Washington State), hitting in the nine slot, went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and a couple of runs scored. Swain (Siena) added on a 2-for-3 performance with three runs scored. 

Battle Creek began their scoring by plating three in the second inning. Dre Gleason (Austin Peay) and newcomer Niko Pacheco (Cal State Fullerton) started the inning off with singles, but Kenosha’s catcher Jake Whiting (Montevallo) picked off Gleason at second to record the first out. Swain followed with a single and scored with Pacheco on Spencer Hemphill’s (Louisiana-Monroe) two-RBI double. Stemp plated the final run of the inning with a single to left. 

After a scoreless third, Kenosha cut the lead to two when Nick Sergakis (Ohio State) doubled, advanced to third on a Eric Fiala (Florida) single and scored when Hunter Alexander (St. John's River State) grounded into a double play. 

The Bombers added two more in the fifth inning with three hits. Stemp scored on Lin Li’s (Taiwan) double to deep center. Li came around when Tyler Walsh (Belmont) lined a two-bagger down the left field line. 

Kenosha made it a one-run game with a three-spot in the sixth, but Battle Creek quickly answered, combining for five runs on five hits over the next two innings to take a 10-4 lead. Kenosha added one more in the eighth to make the final score 10-5. 

Nick Sergakis led the Kenosha offense with three extra base hits, including two consecutive home runs in his final two at bats. The sixth-inning home run sailed almost 400 feet high over the left center field fence. He tucked his eighth-inning home run, which accounted for the final Kenosha run, in the left field seats. 

Cameron Ming was awarded the win after giving up four runs and nine hits, while walking one and striking out two in six innings. Another new Bomber, Mason Marshall (BYU), pitched two innings in relief with only one blemish – Sergakis’ second home run. Kaleb McCurry (Mars Hill University) closed out the game with consecutive strikeouts in the ninth. 

With the win, the Bombers tie the Kingfish for second in the Northwoods League South Division. The two teams wrap up their series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. It is also Amateur Sports Night and Thirsty Thursday presented by Labatt. $2.00 Labatts all night long.

The Battle Creek Bombers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). For more information, visit www.battlecreekbombers.com.

(Story photo courtesy of Battle Creek Photography and Design – Levi Green)