GREEN BAY, WI- The Growlers (25-14) couldn’t find a way to overcome the Green Bay Bullfrogs (13-27) in a wacky 9-6 loss on Saturday night.
The Growlers outhit the Bullfrogs, and committed two less errors in the field but still ended up on the losing end for the third time in the first four games of the Northwoods League second half.
The Bullfrogs snapped an eight-game losing streak by rallying late against the Growlers. Green Bay scored 6 runs in the final three innings against the Growlers bullpen, including 4 runs in the bottom of the eighth after RBI singles from Blake Nelson and Matthew Acosta.
Acosta finished 2 for 5 on the day with an RBI, Acosta was the only Bullfrog to have a multi-hit performance in the nine-run showing.
The wackiness started early as the Growlers scored the first three runs in the game in the top of the third inning, two of them on a wild pitch. With Matt Mervis on second, Zach Daniels on first and a 3-2 count on Brendan Rivoli Green Bay’s pitcher Leo Perez threw ball 4 inside and past the Bullfrogs catcher Brian Davis. Davis, thinking the pitch hit Rivoli, never went after the baseball at the backstop allowing both Mervis and Daniels to score on the confusion.
The Growlers held that lead until the fourth inning when Green Bay tied the game on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo.
Kalamazoo starter Sam Weatherly could only make it through 3.1 innings, surrendering four hits, three runs, while walking four, and striking out six. The Growlers pitching staff walked nine batters on the night, with the loss being stuck to Bryce Welborn.
Green Bay starter Leo Perez delivered 5.2 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs, two walks, while striking out four. The Bullfrogs only used one reliever as Elijah Baez earned the win out of the pen.
Kalamazoo will travel to Kenosha for a matchup with the Kingfish on Sunday.
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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 190 former 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 (TOR). 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 or on Google Play and set the Growlers as your favorite team.