Kenosha, WIS – Ten days ago, the Kalamazoo Growlers won at Simmons Field against the Kingfish for the first time in franchise history. Trey Ganns (Northern Kentucky) wanted to make sure that number rose to two. Ganns did his part, throwing seven shutout innings and the Growlers strung together 12 hits en route to shutting out the Kenosha Kingfish 4-0 on Friday night at Simmons Field for their fourth straight victory and second straight win at Simmons Field.
The Kingfish (16-23) had no answers for Ganns, who was sensational in his first start with the Growlers (23-16). Ganns tossed seven scoreless frames and scattered seven hits while striking out five and walking just one. He began by retiring the first seven Kingfish batters he faced, and when threatened on occasion, he worked out of jams, as the Kingfish would strand seven over his seven innings of work and nine for the game.
Ganns got some early support, as Connor Smith (Western Michigan) led off the game with a single, and Brandon Gomez (Nova Southeastern) followed with a one-out double. Nick Hutchins (Southern Illinois) would follow Gomez by singling to right field to give the Growlers a 2-0 lead. In the third inning, Gomez would deliver again, driving in Dan Robinson (Central Michigan) to give the Growlers a 3-0 advantage. The Growlers would strand a few runners in the fourth and would have to wait until the 9th inning to strike again. They were able to do so as Kasey Cooper (Arkansas-Fort Smith) singled with one out and then after Smith’s base hit moved him to second, Gomez would knock him in for the Growlers final run.
Grant Scheider (Arizona State) allowed a hit and a walk while working the 8th inning, but he would strand both baserunners while striking out the side. Austin Rodesky (Findlay) would then come on in the 9th inning and toss a 1-2-3 inning to give the Growlers their fourth shutout win of the season.
The Growlers have now won four straight games or more for the second time this season. The other such time came via a seven-game winning streak from June 6 to June 12 that began with a sweep of the Kingfish at Homer Stryker Field. Connor Smith’s four hits paced the Growlers. It was his first four-hit game as a Growlers and the third by a Growlers batter this season. Gomez had three hits for the second time this season and Camden Duzenack (Dallas Baptist) also had a multi-hit game. After losing their first nine games in their franchise history at Simmons Field, the Growlers have now won two straight over the Kingfish. The Growlers are now 3-0 and tied for 1st place in the Northwoods League South second half standings while the Kingfish fell to 0-3. The Growlers are now 4-1 against the Kingfish this season.
Devin Pellien (Nova Southeastern) will be on the mound for the Growlers tomorrow as they go for the sweep at Simmons Field, with first pitch set for 6:05 CDT.
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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.growlersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the Growlers as your favorite team.