ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Kenosha Kingfish (6-9) lost the opening game of a home-away doubleheader on Tuesday to the Rockford Rivets (7-8) by a final score of 14-3 at Rivets Stadium.
The Rivets scored at least three runs in four separate innings.
Josh Dudden (Creighton) knocked in Nick Juaire (Texas Christian) in the first inning on a single to put Rockford ahead. Then Tom Josten (Central Florida) came around to score on a wild pitch. Aaron Mann (Drury) extended the Rivets’ early lead to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Zach Nogalski (Wisconsin-Milwaukee) slugged a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning to put the Kingfish on the board and make the score 3-1.
Noglaski was just a triple short of the cycle on Tuesday, going 3-for-4 with a single and a double to go along with the home run.
Nick Figus (Illinois Wesleyan) added to Rockford’s lead in the bottom of the fourth with a triple on a fly ball that got past the diving arms of Noglaski and rolled into the right field corner to score Mann and Tim Lilly (Villanova). Josten gave the Rivets a five-run edge at 6-1 with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Rockford kept the pressure on with four more runs in the fifth inning. Mann got back into the action, driving in a run on double to left field. Mann scored on a Josten single past a diving Ethan Owens (Drury). Jake VanderWal (Long Beach State) capped off the scoring in the fifth with Rockford’s second two-RBI triple in as many innings.
Thomas scored RJ Pearson (Oral Roberts) on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 10-2.
Rockford got the run back in the bottom of the sixth on a bases loaded walk.
Andrew Wilhite (Minnesota) drove in another run in the seventh inning on a double that was the product of a tricky hop on a ground ball. Mann followed the double with Rockford’s third triple of the day to score Wilhite. Then Lilly brought Mann home with a double off the left field wall. The three-run seventh inning gave Rockford a 14-2 advantage.
Mann went 2-for-2 with two walks, three RBI and three runs scored.
Thomas picked up another RBI on his second sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
Lilly moved from third base to the pitcher’s mound to close out the game for Rockford and lock up the 14-3 win.
Jordan Nelson (Dubuque) collected the win after throwing four innings of one-run baseball in relief for Rockford. Sam Marhefke (Loras) suffered his first loss of the season for Kenosha.
The Rivets and Kingfish will play again on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Simmons field.
on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 10-2.
Rockford got the run back in the bottom of the sixth on a bases loaded walk.
Andrew Wilhite (Minnesota) drove in another run in the seventh inning on a double that was the product of a tricky hop on a ground ball. Mann followed the double with Rockford’s third triple of the day to score Wilhite. Then Lilly brought Mann home with a double off the left field wall. The three-run seventh inning gave Rockford a 14-2 advantage.
Mann went 2-for-2 with two walks, three RBI and three runs scored.
Thomas picked up another RBI on his second sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
Lilly moved from third base to the pitcher’s mound to close out the game for Rockford and lock up the 14-3 win.
Jordan Nelson (Dubuque) collected the win after throwing four innings of one-run baseball in relief for Rockford. Sam Marhefke (Loras) suffered his first loss of the season for Kenosha.
The Rivets and Kingfish will play again on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Simmons field.
