KALAMAZOO, MI- The Growlers found themselves down 4-0 after a Traverse City grand slam in the first inning and had a tough uphill climb that fell short in the end as the Growlers took the loss by a score of 9-5.

Sam Kirkpatrick shined offensively for KZoo, launching a two-run homer, his first of the season. The Growlers loaded the bases once and had men on the corners in the bottom of the ninth but could not push enough across to battle back.

The Growlers take on the Pit Spitters again tomorrow at Homer Stryker Field before embarking on their longest road trip of the summer to Green Bay and Wausau. Kalamazoo still leads the division this season by three games over the Pit Spitters and is in a position to grab home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 29th 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 290 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.