ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Kalamazoo Growlers ambushed the Rockford Rivets in a rain-shortened contest, with a 17-1 final.

The Growlers jumped on Rockford starter Danny Cercello with a 12-run first, which saw Kalamazoo taking eight walks and four singles, while sending 17 hitters to the plate. Cercello would record just one out before being replaced by Gideon Motes, who would reach the league mandated 35 pitch limit. The offense consistently moved the line to the next man in the lineup. After sitting for 35+ minutes, Growlers starter Kaden Kiser pitched a shutout first. Kalamazoo continued the offensive momentum into the second, as the first two batters reached before Noah Coy would bring them both home with a double. Kiser would pitch another shutout bottom of the second.

In the top of the third, Growlers catcher Cole Garner would reach via hit by pitch, before Matt Thompson sent a pitch deep past the left field wall, giving the Growlers a 16-0 lead when it landed. Virginia third baseman Isaac Vanderwoude would go back-to-back sending a pitch over the right center field fence to give the Growlers a 17-0 lead. Kiser would pitch a tough third inning, as he stranded the bases loaded allowing just one run. Following the Growlers first scoreless inning of the night, against Rivets catcher Byron Blaise nonetheless, the game went into a roughly 30-minute rain delay.

Following the rain delay, the Growlers removed Kiser from the game, and inserted Juju Thompson. Thompson pitched a 1-2-3 fourth. In the top of the fifth, Kalamazoo’s Noah Coy would reach on a two-out walk before getting intentionally picked off at first to end the inning. Juju Thompson would work around a leadoff baserunner to pitch a scoreless first, before the game was called.

Kalamazoo and Rockford will play game two of their series Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. local time. The Growlers will then open up their season rivalry with Battle Creek, on the road.