ROCKFORD, IL- It was a high scoring affair between the Battle Creek Bombers and Rockford Rivets Wednesday night. But the Bombers took advantage of Rockford’s inconsistency on the mound on their way to an 12-7 victory.

The Rivets were forced to use seven different pitchers in the game as the Bombers recorded 11 hits, and walked six times.

Battle Creek scored four runs in two different innings. Aaron Beck went deep off reliever Shemar Page that just snuck over the right field wall to give the Bombers a 7-4 lead. It was his first home run of the season and was the fifth Bomber home run of the season. The Bombers entered the fourth down 4-3 and scored four runs in the fourth on the home run and an RBI single by Ed Johnson.

The offensive onslaught didn’t stop there. The Bombers loaded the bases in the seventh and scored four runs as Caleb Balgaard and Miguel Larreal were hit by reliever Tyler Horvath and Jack Merrifield reached on an error by third baseman Tommy Benson which scored two runs making it 11-5.

Larreal scored a team-high three runs and went 2-4. Two other Bombers had multi-hit games as Harold Coll and Jacob McKeon had two hits a piece.

The Bombers sent Drew Lasseigne to the mound for his third start of the season and went six innings giving up five runs on seven hits striking out five.

Things did not look pretty for Lasseigne to start. He gave up three runs in the first including a two-run double by Benson who scored when Lasseigne dropped the throw back from the catcher. The righty was able to settle down as he let up just two runs in his final five innings of work.

Benson led the Rivets with three RBI going 2-4. He drove in a run with a single in the fifth making it a 7-5 game. The Rivets outhit the Bombers 12-11. Rockford had seven of their nine starters with at least one hit in the game led by Philip Matulia who went 3-5 and fell a home run short of the cycle.

While Lasseigne gave the Bombers length in his start it was the complete opposite for the Rivets pitching staff. Rivets starter Forrest Barnes last just one inning after the Bombers opened the game with three runs on two hits. Coll hit an RBI single and Heath Hood reached on an error which scored two runs.

After scoring four in the fourth and four in the seventh Battle Creek added an extra run in the ninth on an RBI single by Merrifield off Jared Herzog who was forced into unfamiliar relief work as he had started in his previous four appearances.

The win makes it three in a row for the Bombers while the Rivets have now dropped their last five. Battle Creek will look for the sweep over the Rivets tomorrow with first pitch being at 7:05 p.m.

 

Written by Harris Eisenberg