Kalamazoo, Mich. – For just the second time in franchise history, the Kalamazoo Growlers (44-31) are Great Lakes East Champions. On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the Growlers captured the Great Lakes East Championship Series by defeating the Rockford Rivets (48-27) by a finals core of 8-2.

Kalamazoo for the first time in the series struck first and pushed Rivets starter Peter Lemke out of the game. With runners at the corners and just one out, K-Zoo put up a pair of runs on an RBI groundout by Gabe Springer and an RBI single by Savi Delgado. K-Zoo forced Lemke to 34 pitches, just one under the limit for a long frame.

After beginning the playoffs with a pair of struggling starts, Kalamazoo found a gem out of its second-year right-handed pitcher in Tanner Ware. Ware would give up a pair in the first, both being unearned on an error in right field by Korbin Griffin. The lefty immediately retired eight of his next nine shutting the Rivets down for the next five innings giving up a total of just five hits while striking out three.

Kalamazoo took the lead for good in the second. After a leadoff double by Brandon Sanchez, Brodey Acres drove him home on a sac fly. K-Zoo added on a pair more with error and sac fly in the third.

Acres, Wells, and Sanchez would once again be the propellers of the Growlers’ offense combining to go 5-11, with two doubles a pair of walks, and six RBI.

Sanchez, after the leadoff double in the second, reached on an error and scored in the sixth off an RBI single by Brodey Acres. In the very next frame, Sanchez delivered again on a two-RBI single to end the six unanswered runs for the Growlers.

Following Tanner Ware’s dominant day, Bryce Brassfield continues his scoreless stretch in relief since coming back. Throwing 37 strikes in 44 pitches, Brassfield struck out a single-game high-five batters. Since rejoining the Growlers, Brassfield has had six consecutive scoreless innings, striking out nine in total.

Behind the win, the Growlers head to Madison, Wisc. on Wednesday to take on the Great Lakes West Champion Madison Mallards. The Mallards have won a franchise-record 52 wins this season and defeated the Wausau Woodchucks to move on.

First pitch for the Great Lakes Championship Game is set for 7:05 p.m. ET at Warner Park with Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year Ryan Kraft (6-2, 1.44 ERA) taking on Madison’s Brandon Cahill (2-1, 6.85 ERA).

The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31^st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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, 360 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner, and two-time All-MLB first-team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network.  Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. 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.