Tyler Bright
BATTLE CREEK, MI – The second half of the 2024 Northwoods League season has officially begun as the Battle Creek Battle Jacks (19-17) and the Kalamazoo Growlers (18-17) were looking to start strong in the win column. The series heading into the game was 3-1 in Kalamazoo’s favor, but Battle Creek had the momentum with the 18-11 victory ending a 14-game losing streak to the Growlers at home and their first win since the 2022 rebrand.
Griffin Almond (Eastern New Mexico University) got the start for the Battle Jacks who had a solid appearance coming in relief against Traverse City. For Kalamazoo, it was Tanner Ware (Oakland University) getting the nod who was dominant on the road up until that point and had a 0.86 ERA.
Kalamazoo got the early lead with a Sam Harris (Duke University) home run over to right field. Battle Creek responded in the bottom of the 1st inning with a Cayden Wotipka (USC Upstate) single to right field.
The Battle Jacks capitalized on Kalamazoo’s defensive mishaps, with the Growlers committing four errors that ultimately played a crucial role in the game’s outcome. Alex Fernandes (University of Memphis) laid down a double to second base to give Battle Creek their first lead of the day.
The newcomer catcher in Silas Shaffer (Eastern Kentucky University) in his first at-bat knocked in a run with Ben Fierenzi (Long Island University) making his way to home plate in the bottom of the third.
Fernandes would show off his arm in the top of the 4th gunning down a run at home plate to get the out and retire the side.
Almond did his part on the mound, pitching 4 innings, allowing just 5 hits a 1 earned run while striking out 5 batters.
Battle Creek’s offense would not stop there as Fierenzi laid out an RBI triple and Aidan Arbogast (Wayne State University) drove him in on the RBI single.
Kalamazoo locked in on offense in the top of the 7th putting up 3 runs to crawl back into the game. Gabe Springer (Stanford University) belted in a single and Jeremy Comer (University of Tennessee) walloped a triple to give momentum in Kzoo’s favor.
The pressure mounted as Justin Morgan (Central Michigan University) stepped up to close it out in the top of the 9th. With two outs, Kalamazoo called upon Brock Leitgeb (University of Michigan) to pinch hit as just two nights ago he prevailed with the walk-off win in extra innings. Leitgeb would provide the spark needed as he roped in a 2 RBI triple to tie the game. That said, Morgan would stay composed as the game moved to the bottom of the 9th.
Now it was up to the Battle Creek offense to step up and face adversity head-on. Mason Hamlin (Texas Permian Basin) was first up to bat and took the hit by a pitch to stand on at first base. With the winning run on first base, Wotipka had a length at-bat, working the count to full. After numerous foul balls and anticipation rising, Wotipka broke through with a base hit to left field to drive in Hamlin and walk it off for the Battle Jacks.
Wotipka talked about the importance of staying disciplined at the plate. “Mason did a great job with getting on with that first at-bat, and I just tried to spoil pitches until it was left over the zone,”
The Battle Jacks (20-17) will look forward to a 4th of July showdown against the Growlers (18-18) at Homer Stryker Field at 6:35 EST on ESPN +.
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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. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 350 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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 the Rockers as your favorite team.
