KALAMAZOO, MI.,– On a cloudy night, the Bombers pitchers were dominant, allowing just seven base runners in a 4-1 victory over the Kalamazoo Growlers.

Both starters pitched extremely well, as the first hit was recorded in the top of the third inning. Prior to it, Nate Wargolet (Grand Valley State University) would walk the leadoff batter in the first and second but retired the remaining batters. Grant Hartwig (Miami (Ohio) University) was perfect through the first two innings before giving up a leadoff walk to Garrett Schultz (Xavier University) in the third. Despite that, the Growlers went down one, two, three for the third straight inning, as Schultz was caught stealing.

Hartwig pitched three innings, allowing one walk while striking out two. Wargolet was nearly as impressive, as he went three innings as well, despite giving up one run on two hits and two walks.

In the top of the third, Bradley Goulet (Akron University) led off with an infield single. He made his way to third base via a wild pitch and balk and was eventually brought home by Justin Van De Brake (Washington State University).

After that inning, both sides were relatively quiet until the bottom of the fifth. Blake Dunn (Western Michigan University) worked a walk to lead off the inning. He would come around to score on a passed ball, where Nate Stolze (Miami (Ohio) University) could not corral the ball. The Growlers landed their first hit later in the inning, as Schultz got on base via a single.

The Bombers retaliated in the sixth inning with a leadoff homerun off the bat of Van De Brake. Battle Creek strung together three hits, as Stolze and Joe Mason (Mount Olive College) singled right after Van De Brake put the Bombers up 2-1. Stolze came around to score later in the inning on a groundout from Peter Hutzal (Marshall University).

With two outs in the seventh, the Bombers would strike again. It started with a Goulet walk who scored from second base on a single by Stolze to extend the lead to 4-1.

Christian Grigsby (Lamar University) was named the winning pitcher, as he threw two innings, giving up one run on one hit and a walk. Chandler Schultz (Belmont University) suffered his first loss of the season as he gave up two of the four Bombers’ runs. Evan Ingram (Hendrix College) recorded his second save of the season, working a one, two, three inning to end the game with a 4-1 Bombers win.

The Bombers next game will be Friday, July 17, against the Growlers. It will be the first five inning double-header, a schedule change that will last for the remainder of the season. Game one starts at 5:15 p.m. with game two of the night set for 8:00 p.m.