KENOSHA, WI — The Kenosha Kingfish defeated the Rockford Rivets 8-2 in their first match-up of the season.

Max McClellan made his second start on the bump, leaving Rockford frozen at the plate with 7 strikeouts and only allowing two hits through five full innings. The dominant pitching continued for Kenosha, as two new pitchers made their debut on the mound following McClellan.

Sam Reed followed in the starting pitcher’s footsteps, striking out three Rockford batters, but eventually the Rivets caught up to speed with the newcomer, driving in their only two runs of the game on three hits. Fearful of a comeback, Kenosha sent Brendan Roberts to the mound to finish out the ninth inning for his first appearance as a Kingfish this season. The Kenosha pitching staff collected a total of ten strikeouts and allowed seven hits for the Rivets.

However, pitching was not the only strength of Kenosha’s play.

Despite a rocky start in their first couple of home games, the Kenosha Kingfish finally got the bats going at Historic Simmons Field, starting in the bottom of the second inning with J.J. Dutton driving a single up the middle for the Fish’s first hit of the afternoon. Following suit was Dayton Murphy, poking another line drive past the infield to put runners on first and second, however things were cut short as Rockford’s Alexander Llinas forced Jadan Boyce—who went 6-6 Saturday night against Royal Oak to make Kingfish history—into an easy ground out to end the potential rally.

The Kingfish remained hopeful, profiting off their motivation in the bottom of the fourth inning to put their first few runs on the board. Dutton, Murphy and A.J. Garcia loaded the bases for Jadan Boyce, as the right fielder drove a single out to left to bring in Kenosha’s first two runs. 

The party continued in the bottom of the fifth with Ryan Bakes charging for home to score on a passed ball to Dutton and Murphy driving in Kyle Alivo with a two-RBI single. Scoring on passed balls became a common theme, as only minutes later would Murphy come around to score on a ball in the dirt with Garcia at the plate. Kenosha topped off their runs in the bottom of the eighth as Aidan Thaxton drove in Dutton and Murphy on a double down the third base line, padding on to their 8-2 win.

Now standing at 4-3, the Kingfish will face the Rivets for a second time at 11:05 a.m. tomorrow in Rockford. 

–

The Kenosha Kingfish are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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, 360 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network.  Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.kenoshakingfish.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Kingfish as your favorite team.