KALAMAZOO, MI – After the Kenosha Kingfish clinched the second half champion title, they swept the Kalamazoo Growlers in an 8 – 3 win in Kalamazoo.
Jack Nelson, sophomore from Boston College, started on the mound for the Growlers and was quickly chased away after hitting the thirty-five pitch limit in the first inning and allowing six runs. After the Growlers fell behind 6 – 0 in the first inning they started chipping away at the Kingfish’s lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Kalamazoo went on a two out rally starting with Jared Miller’s single. Jarett Smetana, the freshman product from Kent State University, then moved Miller over to third on a single of his own. George Mendazona, from Oregon State University, then grabbed an RBI single scoring Miller. Kawambee Moss, from Kalamazoo Valley Community College, picked up an RBI of his own on another single.
The score remained at 6 – 2 until the sixth inning when the Growlers picked up another run to cut Kenosha’s lead in half. The sixth inning started to look a lot like the second inning when Jared Miller, the Notre Dame freshman, started it off with a double on one out. Jarett Smetana picked up his second RBI of the season on a single scoring Miller.
The Kingfish would pick up two more runs, one in the seventh and one in the ninth to complete the sweep with a score of 8 – 3. Devin Ortiz scored on Matt McDermott’s fielder’s choice in the seventh, and Ortiz scored again on Carson McCusker’s sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth.
The Growlers will be back at Homer Styker Field tomorrow night against the Battle Creek Bombers to continue their battle for the I-94 Cup.
Tomorrow morning is Fitness on the Field presented by West Hills Athletic Club, and don’t forget about our second Bark in the Park game of the season. First pitch is at 7:05 PM.
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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.