Kalamazoo, Mich. – All-star Ryan Smoyer had his best performance of the season on Friday night at Homer Stryker Field as he pitched a complete game shutout en route to a 2-0 win over the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Smoyer allowed just four hits on the night, while striking out 11.
“Things were just working today, the fastball felt great coming out of my hand all night, “ said RHP Ryan Smoyer. “It was a good win and a good team battle; it felt great to win like that.”
There wasn’t much offense on the night but when there was, it was the Growlers lighting up the scoreboard. After Karl Sorensen (St. Cloud State) grabbed the first hit of the ballgame for Kalamazoo in the bottom of the second inning, L.K. Thompson (Florida International) registered his third RBI of the season with a single to right field, scoring Sorensen from second on a close play at home. Nevertheless, the Growlers would take the 1-0 lead.
Smoyer would then begin to dominate and settle in retiring 13 straight Bullfrogs at one point. The same could go for the Growlers as well as they would not register a hit until the sixth inning when Justin Fletcher (Northern Illinois) popped a single to right field. The Growlers would plate their second run in the seventh when newly acquired outfield Vinny Mallaro (Buffalo) brought in Ryan Lidge (Notre Dame) from second.
Smoyer would run into some trouble in innings eight and nine, as the Bullfrogs would peg runners on first and second both innings, but the Growler defense would get Smoyer his seventh win of the season.
“In the last couple innings, it was a good defensive effort and that definitely helps the pitch count,” said Smoyer.
Smoyer has now pitched 24 innings without giving up an earned run, while striking nine on the night. It was the second time this season that the Growlers have shut out a team with Smoyer on the winning end of both of those games.
“I just go out there and pitch the best that I can every night,” said Smoyer.
The Growlers will travel to Lakeshore to take on the Chinooks in a double-header make-up game from earlier in the season. La Crosse will be next on the schedule before they head home for the last four games of the inaugural season.
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