By Sedric Granger<\/b><\/p>\n
Battle Creek, MI – The Rockford Rivets (20-14) defeated the Battle Creek Battle Jacks (10-24), 6-1, at MCCU Field to split the series.<\/span><\/p>\n After the Battle Jacks took down Rockford starting pitcher Ty Hutto in yesterday\u2019s game, Battle Creek once again faced a pitcher that had previously posted two victories against the Jacks. Going into this game, Brett Sears pitched against the dogs on June 2nd and June 20th, and both games resulted in Rivets wins. In 12 innings against the Battle Jacks, Sears has struck out sixteen Battle Creek batters and yielded only one earned run. If the Battle Jacks wanted to win today, they needed to find a way to sustain offense against Sears.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe got to hit Sears’ fastball,\u201d said Field Manager Chris Clark when asked about the team\u2019s strategy for the matchup. \u201cThe last couple of times we played Rockford, we have really missed a lot on that pitch early. Whether it is him making a quality pitch or us just taking it, we got to make sure we are on his fastball today. If he is going to beat us, he has got to throw more than just the fastball for a strike.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Battle Jacks rose to the occasion early with six hits and a run in the first four innings against Sears. Charlie Rhee (San Diego State) and Fisher Pyatt (Central Arizona College) each recorded a pair of base hits in their first two plate appearances while Dave Alleva (West Chester) and Jake Allgeyer (Western Illinois) each added on a single. Kyle Ratliff (SIUE) put Battle Creek on the board when he drove in Allgeyer on a fielder\u2019s choice in the 2nd inning to tie the game, 1-1.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately for the Battle Jacks, Sears countered the Battle Creek\u2019s adjustment to the fastball by throwing more off-speed pitches. The Rockford pitcher struck out multiple batters with changeups and sliders en route to a six-strikeout performance in eight innings of work. The Black and Gold offense gave Sears run support in the 4th, 6th, and 8th innings. Once the Battle Jacks forced the Rivets into their bullpen in the 9th, it was too late for the Blue and White to sustain any offense. Rockford closed the game in the 9th to win the matchup, 6-1.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although Battle Creek lost, some of the highlights included the performances of some of the Battle Jacks that were playing in their last game as a member of the team. Jake Tirk (College of Marin) closed out his season with the Battle Jacks with his season-high for innings pitched with five and a third. In a similar way to opening night, Avery Mosseau (St. Anselm College) pitched in the 9th inning for Battle Creek. Lastly, Dave Alleva finished off his time as a Battle Jack with a one-for-three day at the plate.<\/span><\/p>\n