Battle Creek takes both games of the 5-inning doubleheader
The Kalamazoo Growlers lost both games to the Battle Creek Bombers by a final score of 6-1 in game one and 3-2 in game two. This was the first day of the new southwest Michigan Pod format. This consists of a home run derby before the first pitch of each game, combined with two, five-inning games. Ben Van Cleve (University of Mississippi) took the inaugural derby, while Trace Peterson (Lake Erie College) won the second.
Game 1
The Growlers were able to grab a lead in the second on a solo home run by Jake Topolski (Duke). After the second inning, Kalamazoo managed three hits from Will Morrison (WMU), Ben Chosid (Kalamazoo College) and Carson Greene (Stanford).
In the bottom of the second, Brad Goulet (Akron) scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Van De Brake (Washington State University).
In the third, Seth Tucker (Hendrix College) and TJ McKenzie (Vanderbilt) scored on a fielder’s choice and an error by the Growlers.
In the fourth and final inning at the plate, Joe Mason (University of Mount Olive) drove in Michael Morrissette (Miami University) and Van De Brake on a single, then two batters later, Jimmy Wressel (Concordia-Ann Arbor) grounded out to third to score McKenzie.
Pablo Arevalo (Southern Illinois) recorded his second win of the summer after completing all five innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run, two walks, and striking out three. Chris Brown (Triton College) was given the loss after a one-inning, one earned run performance.
Game 2
The Bombers got ahead by two runs in the first inning of game two, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Peter Hutzal (Marshall) and a single from Wressel to bring home McKenzie and Mason.
Brett Barerra (Stanford) tied up the game on one hit in the third inning to score Ben Van Cleve (University of Mississippi) and Jake Topolski (Duke). Barrera’s single was the only hit of the game for the Growlers.
The Bombers would cap the day with a walk-off RBI single by McKenzie to score Josh Swinehart (WMU).
Thomas Schultz (Vanderbilt) earned the win for game two, after 2.1 innings and a strikeout, while Andre Orselli (Ball State) took his second loss after 0.2 innings, one earned run and a strikeout.
The Kalamazoo Growlers will have a day off before returning to the field Sunday versus the Kalamazoo Mac Daddies. First pitch will be approximately at 5:30 for game one and 8:15 for game two.
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.