KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Growlers’ losing skid has reached 10 games with their most recent loss to the Kenosha Kingfish. The Growlers bats had difficulty coming up with clutch hits in key situations as Kalamazoo left runners in scoring positions multiple times. One of these times came in the 6th inning when Drew Huff left 2 runners in scoring position. At this point in the game the score was tied 4-4, and the Growlers had a chance to steal the momentum from the Kingfish but they were unable. The very next inning Kenosha delivered the final blow to Kalamazoo with a big 3 run inning captivated by a Tim Millard 2 run homerun.
Kalamazoo pitching woes continued in the game today. Connor Manous made the start, and was only able to pitch 3 innings due to the hour and a half rain delay. Manous allowed 2 runs in the first inning, however, he settled down allowing after the 1 st ending the night with 2 strikeouts, while only allowing 2 runs, and 4 hits. Kenosha’s starter, Colan Treml, only pitched 3 innings as well, his night was going well up until Matt Koehler hit a 3 run shot off the foul pole in right. The Growlers entered the 4 th with a 3-2 lead over the Kingfish, and that’s when the ball was handed over to JR Holloway. Holloway has struggled all season with his accuracy and consistency, and tonight marks another night where he could not find the strikezone. He was handed the loss tonight as he gave up 5 runs, 5 hits, and 3 walks in just 3.2 innings of work. Holloway also gave up the eventual game clinching homerun to Tim Millard in the 7th. The winning pitcher in today’s ballgame was Gary Clift Jr. who pitched 3 strong innings only allowing 1 earned run, and 2 hits.
The offensive standouts for the Growlers’ were Colin Boerst who went 2 for 3, and his clutch hitting kept 2 out rallies alive for Kalamazoo. Matt Koehler also had a big night as he hit his first homerun as a Growler. For Kenosha, Jack Yalowitz had a huge outing today, he hit 3 for 4 with a walk, and scored 2 runs for the Kingfish. Tim Millard was not consistent tonight, only having 1 hit, however, his hit was probably the biggest night as his 2-run bomb ultimately pushed Kenosha past Kalamazoo.
Tomorrow is Father’s Day at the Ballpark, and the Growlers’ want to celebrate it with you and your family. It is Pups and Pops Day, so you can bring your father and dog to the park tomorrow. Kalamazoo will finish up their 6 game homestand against the Kenosha Kingfish.
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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate 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, more than 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). 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.