After returning home to begin their second home stand of the season, the Kingfish earned their way into the winner’s column Sunday at historic Simmons Field. Squaring off with the Northwoods League’s other expansion franchise, the Kalamazoo Growlers, the squad pulled out a 4-3 victory.
The sixth inning proved to decide the outcome as the Kingfish would score three runs. With runners on the corners, a balk was called on Growler pitcher Shane Bryant, allowing Spencer Gaa to score. A Pat Porter triple would later plate Chris Godinez and Kyle Brooks, pushing the score to 4-1 in favor of the home team. Right-hander Steven Klimek took the ball for the top of the ninth, and was quickly faced with runners on second and third and just one out. He overcame the jam by forcing the next two batters to groundout to first baseman Steven Sensley, closing out the win for the hungry Kingfish squad.
Sunday was also Military Appreciation night in Kenosha. Prior to the game, current and former members of the military were invited onto the field to be recognized. The team wore special blue and gray camouflaged jerseys during the game, for which an auction was held up through the seventh inning. The $2,023 in proceeds from the jerseys were donated to the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Program, which funds trips for veterans to visit war memorials in Washington DC.
The most valuable player for the Kingfish on the afternoon was Porter, who reached base in each of his five at-bats while also chipping in two crucial RBI. Other notable performances were turned in by Chris Godinez (1-2, 2 BB, 1 R) and winning pitcher Curtis Morgan (W, 4 IP, 4 K, 0 ER).
The Kingfish, now 5-8, are tied for sixth place with the Kalamazoo Growlers in the South Division. Tomorrow, the teams face off again with first pitch slated for 7:05pm.
The Kingfish office is located at 7817 Sheridan Road and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. For more information on 7-game packs, season or group tickets, please log on to kingfishbaseball.com or call 262.653.0900.
