Kalamazoo, Mich. – The Kalamazoo Growlers recently ended an eight-game skid, and they will hope to build positive momentum when the Rochester Honkers come to town for a two-game set. Series preview is below:

GAME INFORMATION

Who: Kalamazoo Growlers (6-10) vs. Rochester Honkers (8-8)

When: Thursday and Friday at 7:05 p.m.

Where: Homer Stryker Field

TV: YouTube live stream

Gameday: Follow the pitch-by-pitch action on Pointstreak

Twitter: Follow @kzoogrowlers for updates

PROBABLE STARTERS (Growlers' starters in italics)

TUESDAY: Ryan Colegate (1-0, 1.58 ERA) vs. Chad Hodges (0-2, 5.00 ERA)

Colegate (Ohio Dominican) came out of the bullpen in his Growlers debut, but his two most recent outings have been starts. The tall, loose-armed righty hasn't been overpowering, but he has allowed just five hits, none of them going for extra bases, in his 11 1/3 innings pitched.

FRIDAY: Ryan Smoyer (0-0, 2.53 ERA) vs. Blake Quinn (0-1, 10.80 ERA)

Smoyer (Notre Dame) will be making his first start of the season and has been a reliable source out of the bullpen this year for the Growlers. Smoyer has pitched 10.2 innings in his three appearances and has recorded two saves on the young season. Smoyer is overpowering opposing hitters with seven strikeouts and has an eye-popping .130 opponent batting average.

Lineups will be on Facebook and Twitter prior to first pitch.

GAME NOTES

• Nick Yarnall (Pittsburgh) had a very productive series in Wisconsin Rapids. The sweet-swinging lefty had four hits in nine at-bats against the Rafters, along with a walk. He hit his second home run of the season in the Growlers' 14-2 win on Tuesday.
• Growlers newcomer Austin Cangelosi (Indiana) was a prominent source of offense for the Growlers in their two most recent games. He didn't record a hit on Tuesday, but he scored three runs and drove one in. He had two hits in the Growlers' 14-4 loss on Wednesday, including a double, and drove another run home. Cangelosi has also proven to be a versatile defender on the left side of the infield, as he can handle both third base and shortstop.
• Joshua Buchalski (Michigan State) has a funky submarine delivery that begins with his backside jutting prominently toward third base, but Northwoods League hitters have been just as perplexed by his pitches. The redshirt sophomore lefty has allowed four hits in 9 1/3 innings and induces swings and misses at an astounding rate, helping him rack up 11 strikeouts. Buchalski threw six no-hit innings and struck out nine against the Green Bay Bullfrogs on June 4, and he tossed two frames to close out the Growlers' victory on Tuesday. He also has some fancy feet, as seen on our Facebook page.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The Growlers will be in Kalamazoo for two more games as they face off against the Green Bay Bullfrogs on Saturday and Sunday. After that, the Growlers hit the road for two games against the Wisconsin Woodchucks in Wausau, Wis. before returning home for two more against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. Click here for the Growlers' upcoming promotions and giveaways.

The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information, visit http://www.growlersbaseball.com.