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Published On: July 27th, 2019

Hunter Thorn with a walkoff single in the tenth to down the league leading Pit Spitters

 

Kalamazoo, Mich., — The Kalamazoo Growlers break down the Traverse City Pit Spitters in a 2-1 walkoff win for the Growlers.

The Kalamazoo victory also clinched Field Manager Cody Piechocki’s 100th win at the helm of the Growlers. 

Hunter Thorn (Purdue-Northwest) singled over the Pit Spitters pushed-in shift to score the international tie-breaking runner, Zack Gelof (UVA). 

The beginning of the ballgame was an all-out pitching duel as two Northwoods League All-Stars, Michael Dunkelberger (2-2, IU) and Andrew Hoffman (7-0, Oakland) faced off. 

Both starters went six innings and allowed five hits. Hoffman, however, allowed the first run of the game in the sixth on an RBI single by Shea Kramer (Utah). Austin Knight (Tennessee) scored on the base hit, marking the twenty-seventh time he’s come across the plate.

Traverse City knotted the game in the eighth, as Michael Slaten (Benedictine College) scored on a sacrifice fly by Christian Faust (GVSU).

The Growlers had runners on first and second in the ninth but couldn’t move the runners past those bases. 

In the tenth, Thorn came up with the bases loaded and got up 3-1 against the eventual losing pitcher, Joe Pace (0-1, Michigan). The Wolverine tried to jam Thorn with a fastball inside but the Pride-man Thorn got just enough to beat the Pit Spitters shift.

Eamon Horwedel (6-1, Ohio) clinched his sixth win of the summer with a two inning, one strikeout performance against Traverse City. 

Kalamazoo also donned special jerseys, as they hosted Bronson Children’s Hospital Night. Children in the hospital submitted pictures which the team then printed on the jerseys. 

Fans purchased the jerseys right off the players backs, with a silent auction and the proceeds all went towards Bronson Children’s Hospital.

The Kalamazoo Growlers return to action tomorrow against the Battle Creek Bombers for the final series for the I-94 Rivalry Cup. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

 

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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Currently in its’ 26th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 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 (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.