Growlers fall short at Battle Creek

Kalamazoo, MI — The Kalamazoo Growlers (6-4) saw their five-game win streak come to an end in a frustrating 4-3 defeat to the host Battle Creek Bombers (3-7) from C.O. Brown Stadium Thursday evening. The Bombers snap their five-game losing streak as well.

The Growlers sprint to an early 2-0 lead in the opening frame on a two-run single by Brooks Coetzee (Notre Dame). Battle Creek answered immediately in the ensuing frame with three runs on three walks to take a 3-2 advantage. The Bombers added an insurance tally in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 4-2. All four runs scored for the Bombers came without a hit.

Kalamazoo got within one run on a lead-off bomb from Fox Leum (North Iowa Area CC) to cut the deficit to 4-3. The Growlers had the tying run at third base with two outs in the ninth inning, but a deep fly out by Leum ended the game as the Bombers escaped with a one-run victory.

The Growlers out-hit the opposition 9-7 led by Shea Kramer (Utah) who went 3-for-5 at the plate, while Clay Owens (USC) was 2-for-5 at the plate in just second game this season.

Kalamazoo starting pitcher Dion Henderson (TCU) took the loss, falling to 0-1. Bombers reliever Pablo Arevalo earned the win, improving to 1-0. Burrell Jones earned his first save of the summer for Battle Creek.

The Kalamazoo Growlers look to bounce back tomorrow night as they hit the road for a two-game series against the Rockford Rivets. First pitch is slated for a 7:35 p.m. ET start from Rivets Stadium in Loves Park, Ill.

###

The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Currently in its’ 26th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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 200 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.