KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo Growlers (19-20; 2-2) sweep their rival the Traverse City Pit Spitters (23-15; 2-2) in a Fourth of July showing and a 9-3 final.

The Growlers opened the scoring with a Gabe Springer homer, extending the home run streak as a team to four games, each day in July. KJ White would bring in another run as his speed would prohibit an inning ending double play. The Pit Spitters would add a run in the third and fourth, tying the game up at two . The 2-2 score would stay until the sixth, when Jeremiah Holder would allow Traverse City to load the bases, before exiting with a scoreless inning. The bottom half of the inning would provide a true two-out rally, with one hit, walk, and two hit by pitches and errors allowing two runs to score. The two run lead would hold until the eighth when Kalamazoo would send nine batters to the plate and score five runs without a hit, taking a commanding 9-2 lead.

A leadoff single would score in the ninth, as Bryce Brannon would pick up the two-inning save for a 9-3 final.

The Growlers had lost six straight coming into the two-game set versus the Great Lakes best Pit Spitters, but Kalamazoo came to play, outscoring Traverse City 23-5 in the two games. The starting pitching and run pressure was key for the Growlers, as the starters, Jack Crittendon and Alex Burden combined for 11 innings of two run ball, while the runners forced seven errors over the two game set.

Kalamazoo has moved back to .500 in the second half, and will aim to continue their streak against the Kenosha Kingfish in a weekend set on the road.